Advocacy Toolkit
for Diaspora Organizations
Table of contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1
THE AIM OF THE TOOLKIT 2
SECTION 1 - WHAT IS DIASPORA
ADVOCACY?
4
SECTION 2 - DEVELOPING AN
ADVOCACY STRATEGY
7
SECTION 3 - METHODS AND TOOLS FOR
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
27
SECTION 4 - NAVIGATING RISKS OF
ADVOCACY IN FRAGILE CONTEXTS
48
SECTION 5 - EMOTIONS AND ADVOCACY
WORK
51
SECTION 6 - CONCLUSIONS AND
LESSONS LEARNED
54
REFERENCES 57
APPENDIX: USEFUL RESOURCES FOR
CSOs
59
List of tables
Table 1: Steps and tools to establish an advocacy strategy 7
Table 2: Issue Choice Matrix 8
Table 3: SWOT analysis 11
Table 4: Logframe template 18
Table 5: Benets and challenges of dierent media tools 37
Table 6: Risk Matrix 49
List of gures
Figure 1: Dierent approaches to advocacy 4
Figure 2: Establishing an advocacy strategy 7
Figure 3: Problem tree diagram example 10
Figure 4: Levels of diaspora advocacy 11
Figure 5: Example of force eld analysis 12
Figure 6: Allies and Opponents Matrix 14
Figure 7: Project components 17
Figure 8: Power analysis and potential engagement strategies 20
Figure 9: Human rights messaging 23
Figure 10: Face-to-face meeting structure 29
Figure 11: The UPR Process 34
Figure 12: How to write a press release 39
Figure 13: The power of the image 41
Figure 14: Thought-Feelings-Behaviours (TFB) Cycle 53
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study was commissioned by the Danish Refugee Council’s Diaspora Programme (DRC DP) and the
Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP). This eort was led by Adrien Bory (DRC) and Evan Jones
(ADSP). Many thanks to our diaspora partner, the Danish- Afghan Women Association (ADKA) and in
particular to Tahmina Salik for her input and contribution across the project. Thanks to our research
partner, the Centre for Asia Pacic Refugee Studies (CAPRS) for their invaluable technical assistance.
We would like to thank Eleni Diker and Dr. Nora Jasmin Ragab for their tireless work in developing the
toolkit. To make this toolkit as useful as possible for diaspora actors in dierent contexts, a consultation
workshop was held at the commencement of the project that brought together diaspora actors from
dierent contexts. We are grateful to the participants of the workshop, including Rez Gardi from Empower
/ CAPRS, Mina Sharif from Compassion First Consulting, Mohamad Katoub from IMPACT. Mayss Al-Zoubi,
independent capacity building consultant, and Patricia Anderson from Bevar Ukraine who made valuable
contributions by sharing their experiences and expertise on the topic of advocacy. We also want to thank
the participants who attended the ADSP-CAPRS-DRC and Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) Professional
Development Short Course on Evidenced Based Advocacy for the Afghan Diaspora in Europe 2022, who
reviewed parts of the toolkit and added valuable insights.
This publication was produced with the support of Globalt Fokus and Denmark’s development
cooperation (DANIDA).
About DRC
Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is Denmark’s largest international NGO, with a
specic expertise in forced displacement. DRC is present in close to 40 countries and employs 7,500
sta globally. DRC advocates for the rights of and solutions for displacement-aected communities, and
provides assistance during all stages of displacement. DRC supports displaced persons in becoming self-
reliant and included into hosting societies. DRC recognises diaspora as crucial transnational civil society
actors. DRC has since 2010 engaged directly with dierent diaspora actors to facilitate and strengthen
their constructive engagement in countries of origin, transit and residence. You can read more about DRC
Diaspora Programme at drc.ngo/diaspora
About ADSP
The Asia Displacement Solutions Platform is a joint initiative of the Danish Refugee Council, International
Rescue Committee, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, which aims to contribute to the development of
solutions for populations aected by displacement in the region.
Drawing upon its members’ operational presence throughout Asia, and its extensive advocacy networks
in Europe and north America, ADSP engages in evidence-based advocacy initiatives to support improved
outcomes for displacement-aected communities. As implementing agencies, ADSP members work
closely with displaced populations and the communities that host them and are therefore able to
contribute a distinctive, eld-led, perspective to policy and advocacy processes which can sometimes
be removed from the realities on the ground and concerns of those living with, and in, displacement. By
coming together under the aegis of the ADSP the three member agencies – global leaders in innovative
policy and programming – commit to collaboration in order to achieve improved outcomes for
displacement aected communities in the region. You can read more on our website adsp.ngo/
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| Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors
About the consultants
Dr. Nora Jasmin Ragab is an independent migration scholar, with a research interest in exploring the
intersections of diaspora mobilization, conicts, and socio-political dynamics of displacement. Her
academic work oen lies at the interface of research and policy and seeks to inform institutions and
stakeholders, including the German development cooperation (GIZ), the Danish Refugee Council
(DRC), UN Agency for Migration (IOM), and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development
(ICMPD). Nora is passionate about the development of methods and concepts to promote spaces of self-
organization and civic organizing. She is a lecturer at IES Abroad, where she teaches courses on diverse
range of migration related topics and the international politics of the WANA region. Together with Eleni
Diker, she developed the series of diaspora toolkits, on diaspora fundraising, community outreach and
networking and alliances building.
Eleni Diker has 10+ years of experience in the eld of migration, both as a researcher and practitioner.
In her previous role at UNU-MERIT/Maastricht University, she designed and conducted policy-relevant
research studies and educational programs in the eld of migration. In her early career years, she worked
for several years at the UN Agency for Migration (IOM) in Istanbul and she co-founded the rst Turkey-
based NGO that uses sports and body movement as a tool for social empowerment. Together with Dr
Nora Jasmin Ragab, she developed the earlier series of this toolkit on diaspora fundraising, community
outreach and networking and alliances building. She is currently a Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn
University’s Rotary Peace Center and works at Oxfam Novib in the Hague as an Impact Measurement and
Knowledge Specialist.
THE AIM OF THE TOOLKIT
The Danish Refugee Council engages civil society actors rooted in and/or with direct ties to the Global
South, and therefore considers diaspora transnational civil society actors an integral part of the civil
society they work with.
This toolkit – part of a broader series of toolkits – have been developed to
oer practical guidance to diaspora actors in dierent areas: (1) Diaspora Fundraising, (2) Community
Outreach (3) Networking and Alliances Building and (4) Advocacy.
Diaspora communities, organisations, and individuals are increasingly vocal and inuential, advocating
for social, economic, and political change in their country of origin, the country of residence and in the
international sphere. This toolkit provides practical guidance for diaspora organisations in their advocacy
work.
Section 1 begins with a brief introduction by providing the denition of advocacy and highlighting its
relevance to the diaspora. The section also presents an overview of the dierent approaches to advocacy
and key concepts to consider before engaging in advocacy work.
Section 2 outlines the main steps in developing an advocacy strategy, consisting of prioritising advocacy
issues, analysing the external context, setting the theory of change, goal, objectives and indicators,
dening the target audience, developing the core message, selecting the right approach and planning
monitoring, evaluation and learning. The section also provides examples of tools with step-by-step
descriptions and templates to guide diaspora actors in the multi-stage process of developing an advocacy
strategy.
Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors |
2
Section 3 provides examples of methods that can be used at dierent levels of advocacy, including local,
national, and transnational levels. The section presents a detailed description of selected methods that
can be used to conduct advocacy with specic focus on their relevance for diaspora communities. The
selected methods elaborated in the section are: making use of inside track, making use of international
mechanisms, using (social) media and promoting/protesting countries of origin.
Section 4 discusses the potential risks that may occur throughout the project cycle of an advocacy
campaign with a specic focus on the risks of diaspora advocacy in fragile contexts. The section also
oers tools and strategies to navigate these challenges and minimise risks.
Section 5 addresses the oen-overlooked aspect of emotions in advocacy work and presents some tools
and guidance focussing on the role of self- and collective care.
Section 6 oers conclusions and recommendations to diaspora actors and organisations in their
advocacy.
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SECTION 1 - WHAT IS DIASPORA
ADVOCACY?
Diaspora advocacy calls attention to the political or humanitarian plights of their communities in their origin
countries. Through their advocacy, diaspora groups, organisations and communities seek to inuence, engage,
inform or sometimes pressure governments of the country of origin and residence for policy change. Diaspora
actors may engage in humanitarian advocacy to improve protection for communities in emergency contexts
by calling for implementation of the humanitarian imperative. Such advocacy actions oen seek to amplify
people’s voices, to ensure that responses are appropriate to people’s needs and rights and to ensure that they
respect humanitarian principles or engage in eorts to challenge power structures within the humanitarian
system. In the context of residence, diaspora actors may raise awareness of the challenges faced by migrant
and refugee populations, challenge structures of racism and discrimination, and are increasingly seen as
important actors in decision-making processes, hence fostering representation of migrant interests in the
political process.
Advocacy can be dened as a process of supporting and enabling people to express their views and concerns,
access information and services, defend and promote their rights and responsibilities, and explore their
choices and options in life
1
. Advocacy in that sense, can be understood as an organised eort to inuence
social or policy change, whereby action can be directed towards both political decision-makers or society as a
whole. Outcomes of advocacy, hence, may aim for change in policy and practice, change in public attitudes or
behaviour, change in the political system/processes or to empower disadvantaged groups.
Advocacy can be realised through dierent activities and tools, which are inuenced by the approach used.
If the cause is less confrontational and the diaspora has access to decision/makers, approaches that seek for
policy change from inside may be used, through advising or lobbying eorts. In contrast, more confrontational
policy questions, that aim at empowering and amplifying voices of more marginalised segments of society
or that have an oppositional stance, require advocacy actions, such as media campaigning or activism that
produce outside external pressure through raising awareness or encouraging action among the broader public.
Figure 1: Different approaches to advocacy
Source: Adapted from Young & Quinn (2012), p. 28
1 Advocacy Focus (n.d,). What is Advocacy? Retrieved from: https://advocacyfocus.org.uk/services/understanding-advocacy/
Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors |
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1. Advising: Aims at changing policy from inside by producing (commissioned) research studies, policy
papers or other evidence-based policy advice to inform decision-makers about a certain policy
question or problem. Given that the policy advice is guided by a specic ideological agenda, the
advocacy process seeks to sell ideas developed through the research to push decision-making
processes in a specic direction.
2. Lobbying: Seeks to ensure being present and visible during government and public discussions with
attempts to inuence decisions made by the government, through for example face-to-face meetings
with decision-makers, or through speeches in Parliament. Given that lobbying aims at changing
policy from inside and requires access to powerful people, it is therefore oen less confrontational in
nature.
3. Media Campaigning: Aims to raise awareness or encourage action among the general public on a
particular policy problem or issue to increase public or external pressure on decision makers needed
to achieve results. These can be realised for example through press statements or articles targeting
conventional media outlets (e.g. radio, television, or newspapers) or online campaigns, using new
digital tools and social media sites that inspire change and amplify advocacy eorts.
4. Activism: Plays a critically important role in promoting participation and human rights both in
the context of origin country and the country of residence, oen aimed at amplifying the voices
of marginalised segments of society. Common approaches include petitions, public protests
and demonstrations, posters, and leaet dissemination. Especially when the cause is more
confrontational and the ability to inuence through the inside track is blocked, activism provides
alternative avenues to promote a certain value set.
The language of ‘advocacy’
The term ‘advocacy’ may have dierent connotations in dierent contexts within the wider
political and historical conjunctures. In some countries, the word “advocacy” may not be
welcome. It is important to ensure that your terminology is culturally appropriate.
2
For example,
some organisations, like Oxfam, use the word “influencing” or ”engagement” instead of
advocacy.
An outside approach is oen more confrontational, using tools such as protests or strikes to challenge
those in power, whereas an inside approach is more collaborative, engaging with decision-makers,
hence seeking change from within. In conducting advocacy campaigns, most organisations do not use
only one approach to realise their eorts, but oen combine dierent actions to leverage their inuence
for policy change. Think, for example, of a humanitarian diaspora organisation. This organisation may
use social media campaigns to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the country of origin and
takes part in demonstrations to call upon decision-makers in the country of residence to put pressure on
the government in the country of origin. The same organisation may conduct evidence-based research
informing international humanitarian actors and lobby for localisation of aid at international summits.
Using dierent approaches can be a strategic choice to achieve advocacy objectives. However, in the
context of conict-aected diasporas, the diversication of approaches may also be the result of a
reactive mode in which diaspora groups feel the urge to address the multitude of needs arising from the
conict. In addition, there is no one-size ts all approach i.e., what works for one diaspora group in one
context may not work for another group due to historical, relational, structural, and cultural dierences.
2 VSO (2009). Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO staff, volunteers and partners.
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| Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors
Legitimacy and Accountability
Legitimacy and accountability are key concepts to consider before engaging in advocacy work.
Legitimacy: “Are we a legitimate actor/organisation to advocate for this issue? Do we have the legitimacy
to talk on behalf of the (diaspora) communities we represent? How will our intentions be perceived
by other actors?” It is crucial to reflect on these questions together with the team before engaging in
advocacy. When it comes to representation, there are simple questions to ask i.e.” Have they asked us to
advocate for them? Have they had a chance to provide inputs on our position as their advocates? Are they
happy with our advocacy strategy?”
The aspect of legitimacy is also important when engaging with decision-makers/policymakers. We need to
be prepared to respond to them when they ask, “Who are you and why should I listen to you?”
3
Accountability: When engaging with decision makers or other stakeholders on our cause, we must be
ready to answer questions around our organisation’s overall governance and structure, our donors, and
how we engage with the communities aected by our advocacy work. While we work towards holding
decision-makers accountable for their actions, we must also make sure that we remain accountable
to the people aected by our work. For example, ensuring transparency in the evidence base used in
advocacy, providing opportunities for engagement of stakeholders and members of target communities
in establishing the advocacy priorities and strategy are some of the measures to ensure accountability.
Furthermore, making sure that there are well-functioning feedback mechanisms that feed into impact
measurement and overall learning are some of the practices that must be in place.
4
Who advocates for whom?
Advocacy can be categorised by who does it. Advocacy work can be done by those directly aected by the
issue (by the people), by a mix of aected and non-aected groups (with the people) or by non-aected
groups on behalf of aected groups (for the people). The advocates aected directly by the issue are oen
the most legitimate actors to take action, while for mixed groups, it is vital to ensure that the actions are
guided by a shared set of values and understanding of the issue and the context. Advocating on behalf of
others oen requires more caution, as it may raise questions around legitimacy.
For diaspora actors, it is oen a mix of all approaches. Diaspora advocates can be members of the
communities aected by the issue or they may advocate for members of their communities elsewhere,
either in origin countries or in other countries of residence. For example, if there is a security and safety
concern that prevents communities in the country of origin or other countries of residence from mobilising
and speaking out, diaspora members may want to take action on their behalf. While they are not directly
aected by the issue, diaspora actors may be better positioned to influence and use this leverage to
support aected groups. However, important to keep in mind for diaspora actors is the possibility of being
disconnected from the actual reality in their countries of origin. Given the physical and mental distance,
diaspora members can potentially unintendedly cultivate alternative imaginations of social change, which
may not necessarily correspond with local aspirations in their homeland. In that case, it becomes vital to
continuously engage in consultations with aected local communities and incorporate their inputs into
programming in a systematic manner.
5
3 Ross, J. (2013), Advocacy A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs.
4 Hammer, M., Rooney, C. & Warren, S. (2010). Addressing accountability in NGO advocacy Practice, principles and prospects of self-regulation.
5 VSO (2009). Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO staff, volunteers and partners., Ross, J. (2013). Advocacy A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs.
Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors |
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SECTION 2 - DEVELOPING AN
ADVOCACY STRATEGY
The following sections provide practical guidance for diaspora groups, organisations and individuals to
develop and implement an advocacy strategy. Advocacy processes can be thought of in ve dierent
stages as illustrated in Figure 2. Each step in the process of establishing an advocacy strategy helps
to answer a range of key questions, which is summarised in the following table. These steps will be
discussed in detail in the following sections.
Figure 2: Establishing an advocacy strategy
Table 1: Steps and tools to establish an advocacy strategy
Step To identify... Tools
Prioritise issues What is it that you want to/can change?
Issue choice matrix
Problem Tree
Assessing the external context What is the problem?
SWOT analysis
Force Field Analysis
Allies and Opponents Matrix
Setting the theory of change, goal,
objectives
How will change happen? Logframe
Dening target audience Who do you want to inuence? Power analysis
Developing core message What is your message to your key audience?
Values, Problem, Solution, and
Action - Human rights messaging
Selecting the right approach How do you want to inuence?
Monitoring, evaluation, and learning What is the impact of your work? OECD DAC Criteria (Evaluation)
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2.1. Prioritise issues
There are oen too many issues that need addressing. However, one needs to prioritise issues based
on resources, networks, interests and experience. Particularly for small organisations or organisations
that are new in the advocacy eld, it is a good idea to review existing strategies and narrow down the
advocacy focus to one or two changes where one’s organisation can make a larger impact with existing
resources.
The number of issues that can be eectively tackled through advocacy will depend on resources. If
you attempt to address every issue that is considered ‘important’, there is a risk of changing nothing.
6
Therefore eorts need to focus where the impact will be most signicant. Eective advocates are
consistent in their priorities and they are ready to compromise on less important issues to achieve
maximum impact.
7
The Issue Choice Matrix is a tool that can help to identify and prioritise issues.
Tool 1: The Issue Choice Matrix
8
The issue choice matrix is a tool to identify the advocacy issue where we can make the most impact, by
ranking the issues according toa set criteria. The following table provides an example of a set of questions
that might be considered for ranking issues. Every organisation has dierent priorities, and the list of
questions that form the criteria may change depending on the issue and context.
Method:
1. Discuss the rst advocacy issue and go down the list of each criteria.
2. Rate the issues against each criteria, from 1 to 5. If you think one criterion is more important than
the other, give double points to that aspect, and rate from 1 to 10.
3. Add up the points. The issue that has the most points is the one that should be prioritised.
Table 2: Issue Choice Matrix
Criteria Advocacy issue 1 Advocacy issue 2 Advocacy issue 3
Likelihood of success
Potential for organisation to make a dierence
Aligns with organisation’s area of expertise
Possibility of building alliances with other actors
Potential to involve those directly aected by the issue
How passionate we are about the issue
Total
6 VSO (2009) Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO staff, volunteers and partners.
7 Ross, J. (2013). Advocacy A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs.
8 VSO (2009) Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO staff, volunteers and partners.
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8
Tool 2: Problem Tree
9
In most cases, social problems are so complex that advocacy can only address a single aspect of a
broader social issue. A problem tree analysis is a commonly used exercise across dierent elds to
analyse the causes and eects of a certain issue, problem or conict. It can be used both before and aer
identifying the main issue. It may help identify the issue whereby you can have the most impact or it
can be used to better understand the causes and impacts of the core issue at hand. This exercise is best
carried out in a participatory workshop with 6 to 8 people, using ip chart paper.
Method:
1. Draw a picture of a tree on a large sheet of paper, including its roots, trunk and branches. Put down
one of the core problems in the trunk of the tree.
2. Distribute post-it papers to participants and encourage them to write a key factor related to the
core problem.
3. Invite participants to stick their post-it notes on the tree: on the roots, if they think it is a root cause
of the core issue, on the trunk if it’s an aspect of the core problem, and on the branches if they
think it is a consequence/eect of the problem.
4. Connect causes and impacts, with arrows showing how they contribute to each other
5. If there are multiple priority issues, repeat the same exercise for the other issues. If you have
completed several trees, facilitate a discussion on how the dierent trees interact. For example,
are there common causes to dierent problems? What are the similar patterns?
6. Following this discussion, you can use the trees to identify the potential areas of intervention,
where you can have the maximum impact. The following questions can be used to facilitate a
discussion: Given who we are and our scope of work, our capacities and resources, where can
we make a dierence? Will our intervention focus on alleviating the negative consequences or
addressing the root causes? How can we best get to the core issue/problem?
Problem Tree
For more information on Problem Tree, see: ODI (2009). Successful Communication, A Toolkit
for Researchers and Civil Society Organizations. Overseas Development Institute (ODI). (p.12)
Retrieved from: https://cdn.odi.org/
9 Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), 2017, Conflict Analysis Framework: Field Guidelines and Procedures.
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Figure 3: Problem tree diagram example
Source: Created by authors based on template retrieved from Mural, accessible at: https://www.mural.
co/templates/problem-tree-analysis
2.2. Assessing the external context
Context analysis
Once you identify the priority issue(s) you want to address and you know what you want to change,
the next step is to nd out “How will that change happen?”. The answer to this question depends on
the context you operate in and the issue you want to tackle. The ability of a diaspora organisation to
inuence policy as well as the scope and form of advocacy work depends on the target country’s political,
economic and social context.
10
Especially, diaspora groups who come from less democratic countries and who position themselves
in opposition to the government of origin, may see little avenues for collaboration and, hence, engage
in more confrontational actions to call out injustices. The public discourse present in the country of
origin may further shape the avenues for advocacy. In some cases, origin country actors might frame
the diaspora as a distant member of the national community and see emigrants as ‘hero and saviour of
the nation’, while in other cases those in exile might be perceived as troublemakers and traitors. When
avenues for direct participation in the country of origin are close (e.g., in authoritarian regimes), diaspora
actors may capitalise on the opportunities of expression and organising in the residence country to indirectly
inuence decision-making towards their cause. In the country of residence, some diaspora struggles are
seen as more legitimate while for other diaspora groups the inside track is closed, oen depending on the
foreign policy stance of the country of residence, but also racist structures that value certain identities over
others. Finally, institutions like the United Nations or the European Union, international non-governmental
10 Kathleen N. (2010). Voice After Exit: Diaspora Advocacy. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.
Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors |
10
organisations (INGOs), and international humanitarian and human rights regimes can provide a platform for
advocacy where diaspora actors can mobilise support and call for action and international recognition of their
cause.
Figure 4: Levels of diaspora advocacy
Thus, a crucial rst step is to analyse the context surrounding your issue. Context analysis should be
distinguished from conict analysis: context analysis seeks to understand the broader situation, including all
economic, social, and political factors, while conict analysis focuses deliberately on the issue (or the conict)
itself to diagnose the root causes, actors involved, and the impacts of the conict.
11
Tool 1: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis
SWOT analysis is a common method used by organisations and companies to develop a full understanding
and awareness of all the factors involved before they decide on any new strategy. For example, an organisation
can undertake SWOT analysis to determine if it has the capacity to address a specic issue within the next year,
by evaluating the internal and external context.
Table 3: SWOT analysis
Strengths Look at strengths (of the group/organisation/coalition, of the larger environment for
addressing this issue)
Weaknesses Evaluate weaknesses (of your group, organisation or coalition, of the broader context
for addressing this issue)
Opportunities Identify external opportunities that will work in favour of your campaign
Threats Identify external threats that will work against your cause
Source: National Democratic Institute, SWOT Analysis for Advocacy Campaign
11 GPPAC (2017). Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict
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Tool: Force Field Analysis
Another useful tool to conduct a context analysis is Force Field Analysis. It can be used by advocacy actors
to analyse the broader social, political and economic environment that impacts the issue and goal. It
allows us to assess and visualise the driving and hindering/restraining factors of an advocacy issue. The
key assumption behind this tool is that any proposed change will have opponents and allies, and the key
to achieving change is to shi the strength of force on each side in favour of the allies.
12
Method:
1. State in one sentence the desired future - what do you want to achieve?
2. Make a list of forces driving and restraining the desired change.
3. Facilitate a discussion on the forces listed, agree on how critical/signicant they are. You can do
this by assigning scores between 1 and 5, with 5 being the most critical.
4. Draw a diagram showing the forces for and against change. You can indicate the signicance or
strength of each force by drawing dierent size bars/arrows (See Figure 5).
Force Field Analysis
For more information on Force Field Analysis, see: Mind Tool. Force Field Analysis- Analysing the
pressures for and against change.
Retrieved from: https://www.mindtools.com/
Figure 5: Example of force field analysis
12 VSO (2009) Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO staff, volunteers and partners.
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Mapping the players
Key to understanding how change will happen is knowing who will be involved in change, who has the
power to make decisions in relation to your issue, and who is in the best position to inuence them.
This step also involves mapping out your potential allies and opponents. For any advocacy, human and
nancial resources are crucial - but alliances and connections with inuential people is also invaluable.
13
Successful advocates are those who are able to build and maintain relationships that help them inuence
behaviours and policies in favour of their issue.
14
For diaspora organisations, the kinds of organisations/institutions to include depend on the scope of
your advocacy: do you target change in the country of residence to give more rights to migrants? Do you
target change in a specic region in the country of origin to stop violations of women’s rights? You need
to make a list of all the institutions and individuals associated with the desired change. Some of the key
stakeholders that you may want to include in your analysis are:
1. Decision-makers (major relevant power holders at global, regional, national or local level)
2. Advisors to decision-makers
3. Inuencers in traditional and new media
4. Private sector
5. Civil society organisations
6. Religious and community leaders
7. International donors and international organisations
8. People disadvantaged by the issue
9. Allies
10. Opponents
11. People undecided on the issue (who you may be able to inuence)
It is important to remember that you primarily want to inuence people, not institutions. Thus, you need
to do additional research in order to identify individuals within organisations and institutions who may
be in favour of the change you desire. For example, if you discover that a local newspaper is an inuential
actor, you may investigate which individual(s) working at this local newspaper you need to inuence.
In order to inuence people and organisations, a precondition is to understand their position, interests,
motivations, priorities (rational, emotional and personal) and pathways to inuence their opinions. You
also need to uncover the relationships and tensions between dierent actors. If you better understand
the positions and interests of dierent actors, you can make more strategic decisions in terms of the
channel and tone needed to reach them.
15
There are several tools available to support the development of a thorough picture of these players, their
positions and interests as well as the power relations among them i.e., Decision and Inuence Mapping,
Allies and Opponents Matrix, and Other Player Analysis.
13 Newland, K. (2010=. Voice After Exit: Diaspora Advocacy. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.
14 VSO (2009) Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO staff, volunteers and partners.
15 ibid.
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Tool 1: Allies and Opponents Matrix
An Allies and Opponents Matrix can be used to identify and categorise supporters and opponents of your
advocacy issue. It also helps to identify those that are undecided about the issue, which makes them a
potential target.
Method:
1. As in the Power Mapping tool, brainstorm all the organisations, institutions and individuals that are
interested in your issue. Include all actors that have a stake in the issue, either for or against your
argument.
2. In a participatory setting, place the actors in the below chart. During this discussion, you need to
assess how much inuence each actor has on the issue.
Figure 6: Allies and Opponents Matrix
Source: Adapted version from VSO (2009) Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO sta, volunteers and
partners (p. 85)
This exercise will reveal your primary and secondary allies, as well as those you may disregard while
working on your strategy. For example, if you are advocating for refugee rights in your country of
residence, one of the very anti actors could be an ultranationalist civil society organisation. However,
if this organisation only has a small constituency, their engagement on the issue may not be worth
worrying over. It is therefore important to visualise the intersection of inuence and attitude towards the
issue to identify which actors you must aim to inuence, and in which way.
Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors |
14
Once you complete this exercise, you can now discuss which inuencing strategy is most appropriate
and where you can have maximum impact. For example, the actors that have high inuence and a s “very
pro” stance towards your issue are your primary allies, and you may want to build alliances with these
actors. Whereas, for those organisations with a very pro stance but low inuence, a potential strategy is
to work towards increasing their inuence. Depending on where the actor is placed in the chart, dierent
strategies of engagement can be put into place (See Figure 6).
Tool: Spectrum of allies
Another tool to map dierent actors is the Spectrum of Allies developed by George Lakey,
Training for Change. This tool is particularly useful for mapping actors and designing
engagement strategies with regards to a particular issue, action and campaign or goal. By
narrowing the focus to a specific issue, it encourages more optimistic and realistic eorts in
building alliances for your action or campaign. Further information on this tool can be found
in the second toolkit of this series: Networking and Alliance Building toolkit for diaspora
organisations, Danish Refugee Council: https://drc.ngo/media/uhddmq0q/drc_diaspora_
networks_alliances_toolkit_2021.pdf
2.3. Setting the theory of change, goal, objectives
and indicators
The steps discussed so far were actions that had to be undertaken as part of the analysis stage to feed
into your strategy and action plan. Aer careful selection of the priority issues where you have the most
impact, and, drawing on the thorough analysis of the context and key players, you are now ready to
develop your advocacy strategy. The rst step is to develop your theory of change, goal(s), objective(s)
and indicators of success and place them in a logical framework.
Theory of Change
Behind every advocacy eort there is at least one theory of change, although sometimes it is unstated,
implicit or unexplored. A theory of change is a set of beliefs about how change happens. To develop your
theory of change, you need to ask four simple questions:
1. What is the overall change we want to make?
2. What are the pre-conditions for that change?
3. What is your contribution?
4. What does progress look like?
When you answer these questions, you will develop the logic behind your advocacy. Theory of change
links activities and results. They are oen presented as “if, then” statements, which could look like the
following:
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If diaspora groups gain skills and understanding of advocacy techniques, then the host country public
becomes more aware of human rights issues in diaspora groups’ countries of origin. Because gaining
skills and understanding advocacy techniques will help diaspora groups to eectively inuence the
public and decision-makers about human rights issues in their countries of origin.
Assumptions
When you develop a theory of change, you will need to make assumptions. Assumptions are ideas or
arguments that are considered to be true or certain without evidence, in other words, “assumptions
are the unproven connections between dierent levels”.
16
However, it is important to keep in mind that
assumptions involve a degree of risk. For example, an advocacy campaign to raise awareness of youth on
refugee rights may want to do this through high school teachers who have access to youth. However, an
assumption made here is that high school teachers are unbiased, therefore, well-positioned to sensitise
high school students. The assumptions take for granted that teachers will be willing to advocate for
refugee rights. A common mistake is to make assumptions about how change will happen. Therefore, we
need to repeatedly ask ourselves “Why” to make sure that assumptions are valid. For example, do you
have cultural assumptions about behaviours and attitudes? (e.g., dialogue leads to better relationships).
Why do you believe that dialogue leads to better relationships? Or, for example, you may assume that
greater transparency will lead to better governance. However, in some contexts, it may well lead to well-
publicised corruption. It is therefore crucial to make your understanding of how and why you think things
will work a certain way in your intervention explicit.
17
Developing your theory of change
Bond is a UK-based network of civil society organisations providing useful resources to help
organisations influence governments and policymakers at national and international levels
through collective advocacy. Bond provides a simple and accessible guide which can help
develop your Theory of Change:
Theory of change for advocacy and campaigns: https://bond.org.uk/resources/theory-of-
change-for-advocacy-and-campaigns/
Checking your assumptions
For more guidance on checking your assumptions, see: Cheyanne Church and Mark M. Rogers,
2006, Designing for results: Integrating Monitoring and Evaluation In Conflict Transformation
Programs.
https://www.sfcg.org/Documents/manualpart1.pdf
16 Church, C. & Rogers, M. (2006). Designing for results: Integrating Monitoring and Evaluation In Conflict Transformation Programs
17 Ibid.
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Setting the goal, objectives, and activities
Goals, objectives and activities must all be linked to your theory of change in that they represent the
changes you hope to achieve. It is important to articulate clear goals, objectives and activities with logical
links to your theory of change in order to increase the chance of achieving positive results. Objectives
and goals are sometimes used interchangeably, however, they refer to dierent things and what level of
change they refer to varies by organisation.
Goal: Your goal is what follows your “Then” statement in the theory of change. The “goal” refers to the
highest level of change you hope to achieve through an intervention. Your goal is linked to the impact you
want to make.
Objectives: Your objectives must describe the changes to happen for you to reach your goal. There are
oen multiple objectives that serve to achieve a goal. Your objectives are linked to the outcome of your
advocacy work. For example, if your objective is to strengthen diaspora actors to advocate for policy
change regarding discriminatory laws towards refugees in countries of residence, an outcome would be a
more equitable and inclusive migration policy.
Activities: Activities are what follows your “if” statement in your theory of change. Activities are
the concrete methods you will use to achieve your objectives. They could be protests, social media
campaigns or podcasts and will result in tangible outputs.
In the following example, increasing awareness of the host country’s public on human rights issues in
the country of origin is the highest level of change that we want to achieve, and is therefore our goal.
Our objective that will help us reach our goal is to eectively inuence the public and decision makers
about human rights issues in the country of origin. Gaining skills and understanding advocacy techniques
represent our activities that help us reach the objective of eectively inuencing public and key decision
makers.
If diaspora groups gain skills and understanding of advocacy techniques, then the host country public
becomes more aware of human rights issues in diaspora groups’ countries of origin. Because gaining
skills and understanding advocacy techniques will help diaspora groups to eectively inuence the public
and decision-makers about human rights issues in their countries of origin.
Figure 7: Project components
Source: Adapted from: Foundational Design & Monitoring training session by Jessica Baumgardner-Zuzik,
from Alliance for Peacebuilding as part of Rotary Peace Fellowship programme. October 2022.
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It can be a complex process to connect the pieces of your programming together in a logical manner, but
when conducted in a participatory process, it will help produce a shared understanding of what change
you want to bring and how. Engaging in this process is crucial for the monitoring, evaluation and learning
activities. Fortunately, there are very useful tools that can help to create this framework.
Tool 1: Logframe
Logframe provides a valuable tool to highlight the logical linkages between the dierent components of
an advocacy project. It helps link together a project’s theory of change, goal, objectives, activities and
impact, and presents the entire logic of a program in one table. It allows us to track whether actions serve
the theory of change. It helps practitioners to improve the planning, implementation, management,
monitoring and evaluation of projects. The following template can be used to record your advocacy goal,
objectives, and activities. The indicator column reects your indicators of success, which can be used to
monitor your progress (see next section).
Table 4: Logframe template
THEORY OF CHANGE: If ... then ... because ...
Impact Indicator Data collection method Target Assumptions/Notes
Goal
Outcome Indicator Data collection method Target Assumptions/Notes
Objective 1
Output Indicator Data collection method Target Assumptions/Notes
Activity 1.1.
Activity 1.2.
Activity 1.3.
Outcome Indicator Data collection method Target Assumptions/Notes
Objective 2
Output Indicator Data collection method Target Assumptions/Notes
Activity 2.1.
Activity 2.2.
Activity 2.3.
Outcome Indicator Data collection method Target Assumptions/Notes
Objective 3
Output Indicator Data collection method Target Assumptions/Notes
Activity 3.1.
Activity 3.2.
Activity 3.3.
Creating a set of indicators to measure impact
To measure impact, you will need to create indicators that correspond to the elements of your project
(See Table 2, column 3). Your indicators should give an in-depth understanding of change. One way of
creating indicators is organising a participatory workshop to agree on the focus of the analysis, dene
concepts and create short-term, intermediate and long-term indicators based on the theory of change.
For example, if your goal is to increase labour market access of refugees in your country of residence, a
short-term indicator could be the number of people contacted with your core message and the number
of people who took action because of your campaign. The intermediate indicators could be the number
Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors |
18
and type of supportive statements made by policy makers. To assess more long-term results, a possible
indicator could be the extent to which facilitating refugees’ labour market access is prioritised in a new
policy.
Indicator guidance
Save the Children’s open education session on “Monitoring and evaluating advocacy and
campaigns” provides detailed guidance on how to create indicators to successfully monitor
and evaluate advocacy. It can be accessed here: https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/
resource/view.php?id=53739
Eirene Peacebuilding Database
In this database, you can find more than 3,300 indicators that are compiled together from
publicly available peacebuilding resources. You can search for indicators based on country, field
and program activities. If your organisation is engaged in peacebuilding or if your advocacy
issue is linked to a conflict, this is a great resource to help you figure out potential indicators to
measure your impact. It is completely fine to use pre-used indicators in your programming if it
fits well with your theory of change.
You can reach the database via:
https://www.allianceforpeacebuilding.org/eirene-peacebuilding-database
2.4. Dening the target audience
The main target audience will oen be decision makers and the individuals, organisations and
institutions who can inuence them. Decision-makers are oen the primary audience, and they could
include the country’s President, the Prime Minister, ministers, parliamentarians, mayors, religious leaders
(depending on their roles in dierent contexts), donor organisations, UN agencies, other multilateral
organisations and community leaders. Inuencers are oen considered as a secondary audience, and
they may include other diaspora organisations, civil society organisations, opinion leaders, the media,
international leaders, religious leaders, celebrities, social media inuencers, teachers, professors and
researchers.
It is important to note that your target audience is dierent to your stakeholders. While stakeholders are
people and organisations that are related to your issue in some way, target audiences are those who are
in a position or have the power to bring about change.
The identication of targets should be guided by the question “Who has the power to make change
happen?”. Tools such as power analysis can help you to nd out who your primary and secondary
audiences are.
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Tool 1: Power Analysis
18
Power analysis is a useful tool to identify 1) who you need to target to bring about change and; 2) who
can inuence your key targets. It is dierent from stakeholder mapping or allies and opponents matrix as
power analysis is only concerned with actors that can directly or indirectly make change happen.
The tool assumes that for any proposed change there are some stakeholders in favour of and some
against. With this tool, we can visualise the relative power and relationships between dierent targets
that can aect your issue and campaign. As with all the tools, it is best done in teams as a participatory
exercise.
19
Method:
1. With your team, brainstorm and make a list of all key institutions/organisations/groups and
individuals relevant to your issue. Also include your own group so it’s clear how to proceed with
your advocacy strategy.
2. Discuss how important each institution/organisation or individual is. Then discuss:
a. Do they agree or disagree with you on this issue? (level of support)
b. How much power/inuence do they have over your issue? (level of inuence)
3. Draw axes with inuence/power in one axis, and support (whether they agree or not) in the other
axis.
4. Plot each player on the axes, depending on their level of inuence and support for your cause.
5. Identify the level of contact/relationship between each circle. Draw arrows in dierent sizes to
reect the degree of potential inuence between actors. For example, take note of where one
organisation can encourage another to do something or if they collaborate on certain programs.
6. Formulate ‘learning questions’ in order to further improve your power map to feed into your
strategy (e.g., check your network to see if you have connections with anyone from those
institutions)
Figure 8: Power analysis and potential engagement strategies
18 Also called Venn Diagram, Systems Mapping or Chapatti Diagram
19 Tang, A. (n.d.). Power Mapping and Analysis. The Commons: Social Change library. Retrieved from: https://commonslibrary.org/guide-power-mapping-
and-analysis/
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20
The position of the individuals, organisations or institutions on this axis can help to determine your
strategy of engagement. For example, if the organisation has a high level of inuence and high level of
support, a useful strategy is to join forces and build alliances with them. Or, if the organisation/individual
highly supports your cause but does not have a strong inuence on the system, you can think about
ways with which to build their capacity and how to empower them to become stronger players in the
system. You may not want to target those actors with a low level of support and low degree of inuence,
as they most likely will not be willing or able to contribute to the change you want to achieve. However,
as contexts tend to be dynamic, you may want to keep an eye on them, to monitor if their position is
changing over the course of your campaign or project.
20
Power analysis tool
For a more detailed discussion and visualisation of the Power Analysis Tool, see:
Networking and alliance building toolkit for diaspora organisations, Danish Refugee Council:
https://drc.ngo/media/uhddmq0q/drc_diaspora_networks_alliances_toolkit_2021.pdf
The Beautiful Trouble Toolbox: https://www.beautifultrouble.org/toolbox/#/tool/power-
mapping.
Commons Social Change Library: https://commonslibrary.org/guide-power-mapping-and-
analysis/
Various and dynamic forms of power
Power comes in dierent forms in dierent contexts, thus, identifying your primary and
secondary audience may not be a straightforward process. Hidden and invisible forms of power
may go unnoticed in your power analysis. You need to think about the cultural norms and
beliefs that may underlie policies and practices, and, go beyond the usual suspects and think
about people behind the scenes.
21
For example, in authoritarian states with neoliberal economic
policies, a small group of wealthy elite may have more influence over decisions than opposition
parties. Also, it is important to keep our power analysis up to date - the degree of influence and
support of actors may change over time, as well as the power dynamics among them.
2.5. Developing the core message
Once you have identied the people or organisations/institutions that you need to inuence to bring
about change, you then need to work on a core message that will convince your audience. A core message
should present a strong argument for change. It must answer the following questions, in an accessible
and concise manner:
1. What do you want to achieve?
2. When do you want to achieve it?
3. Why is the change important? (support with evidence, statistics and information)
4. How will the change happen?
20 Ragab, N.J. & Diker, E. (2021). Networking and alliance building toolkit for diaspora organisations, Danish Refugee Council: https://drc.ngo/media/
uhddmq0q/drc_diaspora_networks_alliances_toolkit_2021.pdf
21 Save the Children, Advocacy and Campaigning: Identifying and influencing advocacy targets https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/resource/
view.php?id=53741
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Remember advocacy messages are not just about disseminating information to your audience, they are
also about persuading and inuencing them. Infographics are useful to show evidence, but you need
strong messaging to get to your audience and persuade them.
If you have a diverse audience, you need to remember to tailor your message depending on chosen
target audiences. People in decision-making roles rarely have time to read lengthy emails coming from
unknown addresses - you need to think about creative ways of making your message relevant, persuasive
and memorable.
22
Your core message should ideally include a statement of problem and the desired action, evidence based
on statistics and data and an example of the aected groups.
Example: Oxfam’s core message on ending violence against women and girls
Oxfam’s advocacy campaign to stop violence against women and girls provides a good example
of a powerful core message.
Say ’Enough’ to violence against women and girls
“Every minute of the day, violence is devastating the lives of millions of women and girls around
the world. It is a global crisis, already aecting one in three women in their lifetime, devastating
their lives and fracturing communities.
Violence against women and girls knows no boundaries of geography or culture - but those living
in poverty face higher levels of abuse. It is rooted in the inequality between men and women that
women and girls face throughout their lives.
Some believe that violence toward women and girls is not their business. Some believe it is even
normal. Many don’t challenge it – even if they think it’s not acceptable.
But everywhere in the world, people are standing up and speaking out. Women’s rights
organizations are already saving lives in tackling violence against women and girls. We stand
with them to call for all women, men, girls and boys to say ‘Enough’ to violence against women
and girls.
Together we can change these harmful beliefs. What is learned can be unlearned.”
To read more: https://www.oxfam.org/en/take-action/campaigns/say-enough-violence-against-
women-and-girls
22 Ross, J. (2013). Advocacy A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs.
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22
Tool: Values, Problem, Solution, and Action (VPSA) - Human rights messaging
The Opportunity Agenda has designed a simple human rights messaging formula called VPSA: Values,
Problem, Solution, and Action.
Figure 9: Human rights messaging
Source: Adapted from The Opportunity Agenda (n.D). A Communications Toolkit.
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How to ensure eective public communication on migration? Value-based approach to
awareness campaigns
There are several studies published by advocacy groups and practitioners on how to ensure
strategic and eective messaging on migration. A key recommendation highlighted in many
of these studies is communicating with a focus on values of the target groups. The basis of the
value-based approach lies in Schwartz’s psychological theory of “basic human values” which
lists 10 basic human values.
23
Some scholars used Schwartz’s value system and European Social
Survey to predict the association between these values and attitudes towards immigration.
24
25
These studies found that people with values such as universalism, benevolence, stimulation
and self-direction are more likely to indicate positive attitudes towards migration whereas
population groups which dominantly value security, conformity, tradition and power are more
likely to view migrants negatively.
Turning to the link between values and public communication, past studies found that
messages with a value-basis that aligns with the values of the target group are more likely to
elicit sympathy among the audience. On the opposite, messages that emphasise values that
clash with the values of the audience would elicit antipathy. Then, if the aim of our awareness
campaign is to positively change public attitude towards and perceptions of migration, a key
lesson is to communicate on migration using a value-base that is associated with anti-immigrant
attitudes, such as security, conformity, tradition and power. In this case, those who are
already pro-immigration, will be indierent to the messaging, while those who are opposed to
immigration on a moderate level may be convinced via the messages framed around their own
values, therefore a shi can be observed towards a more pro-immigration stance.
[4]
If the values
align with what the pro-immigrant audiences already uphold, then the messaging will only
energise further the pro-immigrant groups, while eliciting antipathy among those who already
have negative views about immigration, thus, increasing the polarisation in the society.
Interestingly, a review of 98 pro-migration campaigns in Dennison’s (2019) review shows that
value-based approach is rarely used by pro-immigrant campaigners, while anti-immigration
campaigns oen adopt this approach.
23 Dennison, J. (2019). What policy communication works for migration? Using values to depolarise.
24 Davidov, E. & Meuleman, B. (2012). Explaining attitudes towards immigration policies in European countries: The role of human values. Journal of Ethnic
& Migration Studies 38:757–775.
25 Sagiv, L. & Schwartz, S. (1995). Value priorities and readiness for out-group social contact. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 69:437–448.
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24
2.6. Selecting the right approach
There are oen multiple pathways to change, but you need to select the right (mix of) approaches that
have the greatest likelihood of leveraging the desired change. Here, you need to ask yourself: “Which
advocacy methods are most eective and appropriate for the change we want to achieve?”
There are many dierent methods diaspora organisations can use, ranging from direct lobbying to public
demonstrations, use of media, to organising awareness raising events. These methods are discussed in
detail in Chapter 3, while this section will focus on how to select the methods that are more likely to yield
positive outcomes. Some key recommendations are listed below:
1. Check your internal capacities: make an internal assessment of your organisational capacity, for
example with a Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis (see p.9 for
SWOT analysis)
2. Be cautious about the potential risks associated with each approach - if you operate in an
authoritarian context, you may not want to take the risk of calling people out to the streets. At the
same time, in countries where civil society has a limited space, you may consider more high-level
lobbying rather than public campaigning. Because if there is limited space for civic engagement,
public campaigning may not be eective.
3. Check your power analysis: do you know individuals that are in a position of power or inuence?
4. If you use a combination of dierent methods, make sure they complement each other. For
instance, if you will organise a policy seminar and run a public campaign, make sure that the
campaign begins before the seminar so that the seminar builds on that momentum of the
campaign. If there are dierent teams undertaking the advocacy action plan, it is important to
ensure that they regularly meet and update each other to maintain that complementarity.
26
26 VSO (2009). Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO staff, volunteers and partners.
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2.7. Planning monitoring, evaluation and learning
Monitoring, evaluation and learning are dierent but interrelated processes.
Monitoring is the assessment of the program’s eectiveness over time. It is a continuous process of data
collection and analysis of data that allows us to track progress towards objectives over time. To be able
to do this, you will rely on the set of indicators that you established to help you measure your progress,
make adjustments and ensure that your program does no harm.
27
(See Section 2.3 - Creating indicators)
Evaluation is a more in-depth process that takes place at a particular point in time and makes an
assessment of the relevance, eiciency, eectiveness, impact and sustainability of programmes.
28
Resources
Oxfam’s “A Quick Guide to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) in Fragile
Contexts” provides an overview of guiding principles that must be considered in developing
MEAL processes in fragile contexts. The toolkit can be accessed here:
https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/a-quick-guide-to-monitoring-evaluation-
accountability-and-learning-in-fragile-c-297134/
Learning is bigger than the sum of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). While M&E helps to track progress
and evaluate the performance in dierent aspects and learn from it, there are other ways of learning,
such as peer-to-peer learning sessions, sharing best practices, and organising listening sessions to hear
about the challenges faced during an advocacy campaign. In advocacy work, it is important to keep the
human connection. Research shows that the number of social movements is increasing over time - more
and more people mobilise for their cause, but the success rate is diminishing.
29
One possible reason is
the increasing share of digital mobilisation over time, which potentially leads to loss of the social skills of
actually doing something together. It is therefore important to have that physical space to share and learn
from each other, create learning opportunities with other diaspora organisations, allies, and aected
communities.
A learning strategy must be designed at the beginning of every program - once your theory of change,
goal, objectives, activities and success indicators are set. Learning is key for advocacy groups to improve
their inuencing strategies and maximise their impact. To achieve continuous learning and improvement,
you need to translate experience into information and make it accessible. Making knowledge accessible is
a form of empowerment itself.
27 Oxfam. (2013). A Quick Guide to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning in Fragile Contexts. https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/a-
quick-guide-to-monitoring-evaluation-accountability-and-learning-in-fragile-c-297134/
28 The OECD DAC Network on Development Evaluation (EvalNet) has defined these criteria, which is widely used by civil society organisations. For further
guidance, see: https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.htm
29 Chenoweth, E. (2020). The Future of Nonviolent Resistance, Journal of Democracy, 31(3), 69-84.
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26
SECTION 3 - METHODS AND TOOLS
FOR ADVOCACY IN ACTION
3.1. Making Use of the Inside Track
The political inuence that diaspora actors leverage through activities such as lobbying and advising the
country of origin and the country of residence has been widely documented. For example, aer years of
signicant pressures from the diaspora, Mexico granted non-resident nationals the right to vote in 2005
30
.
In the context of Nigeria, while unsuccessful in securing the right to vote in general elections, Nigerian
diaspora groups have petitioned the Nigerian government for extraterritorial voting rights and have used
the issue of voting as a key point in testing the government’s commitment to diaspora engagement
31
.
Yet, less democratic, and more authoritarian origin-country regimes oen tend to provide fewer avenues
for direct political inuences, especially when the legitimacy of the government is contested by diaspora
actors. A fragile political context, with high instability, weak political institutions and high levels of
corruption, or personal experience of government repression, oen generates mistrust towards political
processes, limiting the willingness to engage with the government in the origin country
32
.
In these contexts, diaspora groups may reach out to country of residence governments to inuence
the political process indirectly. The Chilean and Argentinian diasporas, for instance, lobbied European
governments to apply universal jurisdiction laws when former members of the regime accused of gross
violations of human rights entered the territory of the host country
33
. Kurdish diaspora groups’ active
lobbying eorts have contributed to the recognition of Saddam Hussein’s Anfal campaign, that targeted
Kurdish villages, as genocide by the Swedish, Norwegian, and British government in 2012–13
34
. However,
the sphere of inuence depends above all on the extent to which the position of the diaspora advocates
is in line with the foreign policy stance of the country of residence and what priority the issue has on the
political agenda.
Lobbying or advising by directly targeting lawmakers and other government oicials with the goal of
changing laws and government policy can be a central tool for advocacy, especially when the cause is
based more on cooperation, rather than confrontation. In the context of origin countries, approaching
embassies and high commissions or diaspora oices and ministries can be a good starting point for
lobbying eorts. In countries of residence, the foreign oice or ministries of economic cooperation,
may be targeted for indirect inuences on the origin country’s political processes. For causes related to
migrant´s rights, the ministry of interior, as well as local government authorities might be critical focal
points. Targeting key institutions like the European Union and bodies of the United Nations to inuence
the decision-making process presents another alternative avenue for advocacy.
30 Turcu, A., & Urbatsch, R. (2015). Diffusion of Diaspora Enfranchisement Norms: A Multinational Study. Comparative Political Studies, 48(4), 407–437.
31 Binaisa, N. (2013). Nigeria @ 50: Policies and Practices for Diaspora Engagement. In M. Collyer (Ed.), Emigration Nations (pp. 226–251). London: Palgrave
Macmillan.
32 Ragab, N. & Antara, L. (2018). Political Participation of Refugees. The Case of Afghan and Syrian Refugees in Germany, International Institute for
Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Stockholm.
33 Mey, E. (2008). Briefing Paper: Cambodian Diaspora Communities in Transitional Justice. International Center for Transitional Justice: New York.
34 Baser, B., & Toivanen, M. (2017). The politics of genocide recognition: Kurdish nation-building and commemoration in the post-Saddam era. Journal of
Genocide Research, 19(3), 404–426.
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Face-to-face meetings
In pursuing lobbying eorts, organising face-to-face meetings with decision-makers can be a highly
eective way to inuence policy change.
Preparing for the meeting
Choosing the main message you want to deliver. Oen, we are driven by a portfolio of needs and
demands, and we want to use the opportunity to articulate as much as possible to show the importance
and complexity of our cause. This risks that your message gets lost in the details and you may end up with
little success. Choosing the message you want to deliver, knowing the particular issue in depth, but also
being familiar with opposing views and having arguments in response to them is crucial to achieve policy
change.
Knowing the decision-maker: Doing some research to better understand the decision-maker´s current
stance on the issue, statements, and party positions, as well as the dierent institutions’ programs and
policy related to the issue, can help you to align your message(s) accordingly and to frame your (counter-)
arguments.
Preparing one-pagers or a leave-behind product: Documents that present your policy position,
including key facts and stories that support your message, as well as your contact information, ensure
that your main points can be used and followed-up aer the meeting.
A one-pager is a document that summarises the main message, your solutions to the problem and the
action you hope to see, and should follow a concrete structure and format:
1. A strong title that clearly states what your ask is and that clearly shows the main benet of your
demands.
2. A summary of your cause in three main points (in bullet form or in subheads) that describe
1) the problem, 2) the impact, and 3) the ask. You can esh out each of the points with 3-4
sentences, where you put facts, gures, and statistics to bolster arguments.
3. A paragraph that highlights your solution(s) and oers a concrete plan of what should happen
next.
4. A conclusion with a call-to-action that clearly states which concrete actions you would like to
see.
5. Your contact information
A ‘leave-behind’ is a printed communication material that provides key messages. It follows a similar
logic as the one pager, as it illustrates the problem, solution, and a call for action, yet uses visuals and
infographics to support messaging.
During the meeting
Structuring the discussion with pre-assigned roles: To make sure that your message is delivered
clearly and to show that you are prepared and well-organised, it is advisable to pre-assign roles and try to
adhere to a structure to perform a powerful presentation.
1. The host introduces the participants, provides a brief summary of organisations present and
thanks the decision-maker for the meeting. You can also highlight some favourable positions the
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decision-maker has already taken in relation to your cause, to create a friendly and open climate.
The host may also take notes of the meeting for internal record-keeping.
2. The spokesperson then delivers the overall background and purpose of the meeting and will
facilitate the discussion.
3. The priority messenger opens the discussion by framing the key message(s) to convey, also
taking a position and identifying any relevant legislation or policy.
4. The storyteller supports the message by showing how the policy aects people’s real lives. The
story should connect your priorities, the policymaker’s priorities and the priorities of the aected
people.
5. The data provider outlines memorable statistics to emphasise your points and is prepared to
oer additional information, facts and data if required.
6. The spokesperson then makes a specic request for legislative or policy action. If the decision-
maker seems supportive, they ask for a specic commitment.
7. The host concludes by thanking the decision-maker for hearing your concerns. You can also hand
out the prepared documents (one pager, leave behind) and highlight that you are open for follow-
ups.
Figure 10: Face-to-face meeting structure
Source: Adapted from Advocacy & Communication Solutions (2015) Key Tips for Meeting With
Policymakers
Aer the meeting
Debrief immediately. Debrieng right aer the meeting when memories are still fresh will help you
to avoid forgetting valuable aspects of the meeting. Reecting what went well and what needs to be
improved in the future will help you to identify learnings for successful advocacy techniques for the
future.
Following-up with a thank-you note: You can highlight an expression of appreciation, restate, and
reinforce your message and any verbal commitments made by the decision-makers and include
additional information if promised in the meeting.
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Tracking response and action: You should stay connected and track if decision-makers took any action
in response to your requests. If they took favourable action, you could thank them and spread the success
through your communication channels. In case of inaction, you may want to request an explanation or
discuss if you want to put outside pressure to ensure accountability.
Writing letters to decision makers
While face-to-face meetings are valuable in creating more personal relations with decision-makers, which
in turn may help to deliver your message and secure support more easily, it also requires access to those
in power. Writing letters to decision-makers presents another easy and cost-eective way to express your
opinion(s) and get your message(s) across. You can distinguish between two types of letters:
Lobbying letters are addressed directly and only to the relevant decision-makers (primary targets), and
aim to mobilise support for your cause from within the government or institutions.
Open letters are shared with a wider public audience to garner public support for a cause and are usually
published in some forum, e.g., on your web presence, a newspaper, or an email list.
Who is your target audience?
Before writing the letter, the rst step is to identify your primary target. Knowing the target is not only
crucial for personalising your letter, but also helps to select the best way, topics and messages to
inuence decision-makers. Section 2.2 oers practical guidance for mapping out who your potential
allies and opponents are. The following questions can help you in the decision who to target:
1. Who has the power to make the change you are seeking?
2. Do you have somebody in your team who had previous contact or relations to the decision-makers
3. What is their current position on the issue? And how does it align or conict with your cause?
4. Are the decision-makers open to support your cause and create pressure from within the
government? Are they open to external pressure and if so, from whom?
5. What are the best ways to inuence them?
Sometimes it can be a wise decision to write to a secondary rather than primary target, especially when
those in power might be diicult to reach and/or you have a close relationship with a person (e.g.,
advisory to the decision-making) that is able to inuence them.
To get your message and position across, you need to ensure that your letter follows a coherent structure.
Keeping your letter short – one page – will have more impact than a longer one. Next to the formal
requirements, including the oicial’s name, title, address, your contact information and the date of the
letter. A letter usually maintains the following components:
1. Introduction paragraph: says why you are writing the letter, e.g., in response to a public
statement, with reference to a specic development/event, with regards to an upcoming meeting,
or to follow up a previous request. You need to make clear for whom you are speaking and what
has prompted you to do so.
2. Main body: develops your argument, backing it up with concrete and credible information, facts,
gures, specic cases, quotes, relevant legislation.
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3. Concluding paragraph: states what concrete action you would like the oicial to take, for example:
granting a meeting, stating their position, asking questions in parliament, contacting a particular
minister or government leader on your behalf, inviting you to address the issue in a hearing.
Practical tips for letter writing
1. Personalise the letter: The most eective letters are individually written and add a personal
touch. Even if you use templates found online, you should phrase the letter in your own
words and perspective.
2. Remember the audience: Letters should address the target’s interests and concerns directly.
You need to make clear how they will benefit from your suggestion and point out a goal that
is important to the recipient(s) and that can be attained by taking the action you call for.
3. Encourage influential people in positions of authority to write letters can help to amplify
your cause. One well-argued statement from an influential person or group can have more
impact than hundreds of letters.
4. Mobilising supporters to write or sign, especially in cases of open letters, needs eorts
to collect signatories. This can include, spreading sample letters and addresses in your
newsletter, posting letters on your websites/social media profiles, organising letter-writing
evenings, or setting up tables and inviting members of the public to sign letters.
5. Ensure representation of marginalised groups, by making it explicit that you invite people
from dierent backgrounds to write letters. This not only helps you to increase the number
of letters, but also demonstrates that your cause is supported by a wide cross-section of
society.
6. Providing templates or text “building blocks” that contain the main points the letter
needs to include, so that your team and our supporters do not have to dra letters from
scratch.
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3.2. Making Use of International Mechanisms
International human rights regimes can provide a platform for advocacy where diaspora actors can
mobilise support and call for action and international recognition of their cause. As part of your advocacy
strategy, you can evaluate whether to bring the matter to the attention of an international or regional
human rights body. There are numerous international mechanisms that exist to support in pressuring
origin country governments and other key actors to protect the human rights you want to ensure.
Opportunities for advocacy range from the submission of information to United Nations treaty bodies
or committees, to using international mechanisms to garner media attention, boosting local advocacy
eorts.
Engagement with the United Nations
The United Nations recognizes the importance of partnering with civil society and oers several
opportunities for civil society engagement. Finding avenues for advocacy and to navigate the
international system may take some time and eort. Identifying and reaching out to organisations that
already interact with the UN can help to get some guidance.
PILnet – Legal Assistance
PILnet works towards creating opportunities for social change by unlocking law’s full potential.
With programs in Europe & Eurasia, Asia, and at the global level, the organisation aims to reclaim
and reimagine the role of law so that it works for the benefit of all. Through their Legal Assistance
Programme, PILnet oers free legal assistance from expert lawyers to help organisations
to advance their missions and protect their operations. Legal support includes advice and
advocacy, research, analysis and draing, and training.
Website: https://www.pilnet.org/
The UN NGO Liaison Unit and UPR Info also provide information and assistance to interested civil society
organisations (see Box below for more information).
Applying for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): A consultative
status with the Economic and Social Council provides non-governmental organisations (NGOs) access not
only to ECOSOC, but also to its many subsidiary bodies, to the various human rights mechanisms of the
United Nations, ad-hoc processes on small arms, as well as special events organised by the President of
the General Assembly.
Registering at the Integrated Civil Society Organizations (iCSO) System: The Integrated Civil Society
Organizations System provides online registration of general proles for civil society organisations,
including address, contacts, activities and meeting participation. It facilitates the application procedure
for consultative status with ECOSOC, and assists accredited NGOs in submitting quadrennial reports and
in designating representatives to the United Nations.
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NGO Liaison Unit
The NGO Liaison Unit is the focal point for matters on relations between the United Nations
and civil society. The main functions of the NGO Liaison are based on ECOSOC Resolution
1996/31 that sets out the arrangements for consultation with NGOs. Among others, the Unit
provides information, assistance and guidance to representatives of NGOs on opportunities for
engagement with the United Nations and on issues under consideration by appropriate United
Nations bodies.
Email: unog.ngo@un.org
Website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/practical-information/civil-society#section-1279
UPR Info
UPR Info is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation based in Geneva,
Switzerland, that aims at amplifying the voice of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and National
Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) by supporting their advocacy eorts to address human rights
violations within their country, a UN Member State under UPR review.
Email: info@upr-info.org
Website: https://www.upr-info.org/en
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The Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review
Through a mechanism called the Universal Periodic Review, the Human Rights Council reviews, on a
periodic basis, the fullment by each of the 193 United Nations Member States of their human rights
obligations and commitments. The UPR process consists of several stages, and each stage oers civil
society organisations multiple opportunities for engagement.
Figure 11: The UPR Process
Source: OHCHR | UPR
Before the review
Participating in consultations for the national report. Governments are supposed to consult with
civil society as they prepare their national report for the UPR. You can lobby the government to set up
consultations and can provide the government with relevant information about human rights issues,
either as a formal part of a consultation process or more informally.
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Danish Refugee Council is a leading, international humanitarian displacement organization, supporting refugees
and internally displaced persons during displacement, in exile, when settling and integrating in a new place or upon
return. We provide protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance. We support displaced persons in becoming
self-reliant and included into hosting societies - and we work with communities, civil society and responsible
authorities to promote protection of rights and peaceful coexistence.
The aim of the DRC’s Diaspora Programme is to support the constructive role of diaspora as transnational civil society
actors that seek to contribute to relevant protection and solutions outcomes for people aected by conict and
displacement – in the diaspora’s former home countries, for those on the move, and for those settling in third countries.
Contact: diaspor[email protected]
Website: www.drc.ngo/diaspora
Maastricht University’s Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG)/United Nations University-MERIT (UNU-MERIT) is a higher-
education institute that leads the way in operational, policy-relevant studies and evaluations. Its focus is on preparing
robust evidence to support more informed and responsive policy across dierent thematic domains, including migration.
Submitting a stakeholder report. You may also prepare and submit a “stakeholder report” to
the Human Rights Council, either individually or as part of a joint stakeholder report to provide
real-life examples of the government’s failure to respect human rights obligations. There are
certain guidelines that need to be followed when draing and submitting the report.
Fallacies not Facts
On 28 January 2022, Syria’s session of the Universal Periodic Review was held before the Human
Rights Council as part of its third cycle review. In this session, the Syrian government submitted
its national report in addition to the compilation report submitted by the Oice of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights and the summary of stakeholders’ submissions. On 30 June
2022, the final outcomes of the reports of this round were adopted. The session was concluded
with a reference from the Syrian government to the progress made by Syria in protecting human
rights despite facing exceptional external challenges.
The Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP) and We Exist conducted a critical legal study
to refute the government’s argument based on the obligations of international law and the
proven and documented context at the international level of the ongoing violations in Syria.
You might persuade the country of residence to make recommendations related to your cause when
your country comes up for its next Universal Periodic Review.
During the review
Holding a press conference. Whether you attend the session or not, the review may oer you a ‘hook’ to
hold a press conference about the review, issue a press release highlighting any key recommendations or
any relevant statements from the government delegation.
Hosting a side event. In case you decide to attend the session in Geneva, you can use the opportunity
to organise side events, for example, to publicise your stakeholder reports or discuss any recent
developments relating to issues of concern.
Attending the interactive dialogue. Only civil society organisations with ECOSOC consultative status can
be accredited to participate in the plenary session of the Human Rights Council as observers in Geneva,
and anyone can watch the dialogue via live webcast. You can share recommendations as they are made
on the oor via your social media channels to support advocacy eorts.
Aer the review
Lobbying the government to support recommendations. You can lobby the origin country government
to support recommendations and to make voluntary commitments.
Addressing the Human Rights Council during the plenary session. In case you have consultative
status, you may address the Human Rights Council during the one-hour portion of the plenary session
when it adopts the report of the working group. The Council allocates twenty minutes of the adoption
session for oral statements from civil society actors.
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Releasing a written statement. You can release a written statement about the outcome of the review
and advocate for specic steps ensuring the implementation of accepted recommendations.
Making a submission of information to the Special Procedures
The special procedures of the Human Rights Council are independent human rights experts with
mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specic perspective. The
experts report annually to the Human Rights Council, and the majority of the mandates also report to the
General Assembly. Any individual, group, civil-society organisation, inter-governmental entity or national
human rights bodies can submit information to the Special Procedures, to oer insights on specic
human rights violations (https://spsubmission.ohchr.org/). When deciding to submit a report, you need
to adhere the following requirements:
1. the communication should not be manifestly unfounded or politically motivated;
2. the communication should contain a factual description of the alleged violations;
3. the language in the communication should not be abusive;
4. the communication should be submitted on the basis of credible and detailed information;
5. the communication should not be exclusively based on reports disseminated by mass media.
Submitting information to special procedures is generally accessible to civil society actors, and collecting
information and using it to promote transparency in the human rights record of governments can be an
essential advocacy strategy. Yet, collecting credible and detailed information needs not only access to
relevant data, but also research skills, time and human capital.
Resources and toolkits
International Service for Human Rights. (2015) A simple Guide to the UN Treaty Bodies provides
human rights defenders and NGOs with a broad overview of the UN human rights treaty body
system and its functions to support their eective engagement.
The Health and Human Rights Resource Guide is designed to be a resource on how to apply a
human rights-based approach to health issues for advocates and practitioners worldwide.
The Practical Guide for Civil Society oers information about accreditation, attending
the session, access to the public gallery, requesting a room for an Information Meeting,
documentation and resources, participation in general, as well as the technical guidelines for
stakeholders’ submissions.
You may also want to evaluate whether regional mechanisms such as the Inter-American or
African Commissions on Human Rights can contribute to your eorts.
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3.3. Making Use of Media for Advocacy: From Press
releases to Online Posts & Podcasts
Making use of media is an essential part of advocacy campaigns, as strategic use can help to raise
awareness of your issue, mobilise support and solidarity for your cause, and inuence policy makers for
the desired social change. In your advocacy you can make use of dierent types of media:
1. Earned media refers to coverage received through word of mouth or as a result of reaching out to
the media and is oen considered the most ‘credible’ form of media advocacy. It oen requires
eorts such as press conferences, press releases, or invitation of journalists to your events to raise
awareness about your cause and work. Earned media can take the form of newspaper articles on
activities, TV and radio coverage or social media posts from traditional media and key opinion
leaders.
2. Owned media refers to the content that you create or distribute through channels that you control.
In addition to your website, emails and blog posts, this also includes communication via social
media channels (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube).
The table below summarises the main tools, roles, benets and challenges for each media type:
Table 5: Benefits and challenges of different media tools
Media Type Tools Role Benets Challenges
Earned Articles generated
by a news event
Pitching a story
to a journalist
through a press
release
Organising a press
conference
To generate debate
in public dialogue
To raise awareness
of the issue, causes
and solutions
High credibility;
Earned media seen
as less biased.
High impact
Potential for wider
reach
Limited control
over the story
Can also result in
negative coverage
Sometimes hard to
reach
Hard to measure
response or impact
Owned Websites
Email (Newsletter)
Blog
Social media
(Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram, You-
Tube)
Mobile text mes-
sage
Podcasts
To raise awareness
To engage and mo-
bilize the audience
to take action.
Ability for two-way
relationship with
audience
Potential to go
viral
Messages are
shared peer-to
peer, Authentic
messengers
Takes time to scale
and cultivate an
audience
Conversation is
not controlled but
rather facilitated
Needs dedicated
people to post and
respond on daily
basis
Sources: Adapted from GRSP (n.D.) Media Advocacy Toolkit.
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Earned media oers the opportunity for wider reach and higher credibility, hence enabling you to raise
awareness of your cause within the broader public. At the same time, it can be hard to get access to
more established media outlets, in particular if your cause is not high on the political agenda. Diaspora
media may be easier to connect with and more willing to cover a story because of pre-existing audience
interest in the issue. Diaspora communities around the world have established new media networks
and institutions for producing and distributing unique programming for their target diaspora audience.
Diaspora media can be used not only to inuence policy, but also to inform community members about
human rights issues and galvanise them to take action.
Febrayer - The Network of Independent Arab Media Organisations
Febrayer is a Berlin-based alliance of leading media organisations in the Middle East and North
Africa that has grown organically since 2016 and has strengthened the work of independent,
critical and progressive media in the region in order to provide people with reliable information
and compelling narratives and to hold the institutions of power accountable. Febrayer aims to
support individual media organisations under its roof to expand their audience and influence. It
strives to build a new community around the network in Berlin (and the diaspora in general) that
includes writers, researchers and journalists, who are invested in producing knowledge that is
socially and politically engaged in the region at present.
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How to Write a One Pager
Figure 12: How to write a press release
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Press release and press conferences
Press releases and press conferences are important tools for earned media coverage. Releasing a press
statement or organising a press conference can help to bring widespread public attention to a campaign.
In a press conference, you can invite media representatives as well as other prominent people to speak
about your issue, work or campaign. Press releases aim at inuencing media coverage for your cause, by
framing the issue for the media in a self-determined way, where you decide which points and messages
should be stressed.
A press-release is dierent from a general statement, that you may publish in response to a certain event
or development. A well-written press release follows a dened structure and uses elements that will
make it most useful for journalists (see Figure 9).
Strategic timing is crucial. Identifying opportunities for earned media in your campaign and leveraging
key moments or developments can help to gain media attention.
Identifying what is ´newsworthy´. Approaching media too frequently risks an over saturation of the
media and may make your cause seen less seriously. You need to be sure that the content is interesting
enough to the public and your target audience. Press releases or press conferences can be organised to
announce the release of a major report or start of a new project, to comment on a major development, or
for the announcement of the completion of a major activity.
Developing a Media Contact Registry
To eectively engage with the media, it is important to have an up-to-date list of media contacts
who can be approached to disseminate your message. You can conduct a mapping of media
outlets relevant in your context and issue and use media monitoring to identify which news
outlets and journalists are covering our issue. The media contact registry should include the
following information:
1. Name of the journalist
2. Title
3. Organisation
4. Stance or ‘angle’ taken on our issue
5. Preferred time to contact/send stories
6. Contact details
7. Digital handles
8. Who is your contact to reach them
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Social media and digital advocacy
Social media can oer a space to create, produce, articulate and disseminate self-owned narratives to
counter dominant representations, and can be considered as powerful tools for advocacy. For instance,
from the onset of the Arab revolutionary struggles in 2010, the regimes banned conventional media
coverage to prevent the spread of images of the protests and demonstrations. Social media networks
oered crucial platforms to raise international awareness on the social and political transformation and
diaspora social media activists became important actors in linking the voices of protesters inside the
region to the outside world
35
.
Digital advocacy aims at engaging with audiences and targets through electronic or internet-based
communications channels, mostly through owned media channels, such as social media sites. Social
media tactics range from creating content that raises awareness of a cause, mobilising others to take
tangible actions towards social change, to directly engaging decision-makers or key opinion leaders.
Social media can help us in fundraising eorts, to plan, promote and document events, call others to join
activities, spread stories and raise awareness of a cause.
The power of images: Using visuals or images to convey a message is a central aspect of advocacy and
even more so on social media, with limited space for text and low readers’ attention to details. A concrete
language, images and visuals can help to make oen-complex causes more understandable, highlight the
human experience (beyond the facts) and enable people to make their own conclusion, rather than telling
them what is right or what is wrong.
Figure 13: The power of the image
35 Arab Reform Initiative. (2022). Mediatized Arab Diasporas: Understanding the role of transnational media in diasporic political action formation.
Retrieved from: https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/storage.arab-reform.net/
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Yet, using images - especially in the context of conicts - oen comes with an ethical dilemma. Being
exposed to the cruel realities of the conict oen on a daily basis, may urge us to share the images of
violence and suering on social media to awaken the public and call for action. In addition, we may use
images to document and report actions to donors. However, this also comes with the risk that these
representations dehumanise and devalue the very individuals we intend to support and ‘give voice’
to. Unintentionally, we might feed into the very racialized stereotypes and contribute to the process
of ‘othering’ which we actually aim to ght. Being a good and powerful advocate sometimes means
stepping aside and letting people speak in their own words.
Developing a social media plan and code of conduct
While social media can be a powerful tool to raise awareness and mobilise others for our
struggle, it can - if not used ethically - very much harm your cause. Developing a social media
code of conduct is crucial to limit potential harm and risk.
Below is some guidance on how to develop a code of conduct:
1. State the mission, vision and values of your organisation, as well as examples of content
that align with or violate your purpose.
2. Define accurate representations of marginalised groups of people in text and image, to
avoid one-dimensional, harmful or stereotypical portrayal.
3. Reflect and define what truthfulness, credibility, transparency, respect, accuracy and
responsibility in the context of digital advocacy means for your team.,
4. Ensure inclusivity: Using videos or audio helps to ensure that less literate people can
understand your message. Using dierent languages helps to reach a broader audience.
5. Respect intellectual property rights.
6. Respect the privacy of others.
Taking a cause from the screen to the street: You might be inclined to think of yourself as a great agent
of change due to the followers and clicks you have generated and mobilised for an online cause. Yet,
getting people following (or contesting) online, is much easier than actually mobilising others for your
activities on the ground. “Clicktivism” is oen less impactful, and creates an illusion for people, where
they feel like they have contributed to a cause, when in reality their actions have had little impact. Also,
we tend to typically connect with likeminded people online - which means that spreading awareness and
knowledge gets limited to an echo chamber. Sharing a message and raising awareness online is a critical
part of advocacy, but it needs to translate into concrete action on the ground to drive real change.
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Podcasts
Storytelling is an essential aspect of advocacy work - a powerful story helps to build solidarity, to develop
a shared understanding of a social problem and can mobilise others to participate in a cause. Nowadays,
audio mediums such as radio and podcasts can help us to reach a large number of people and are an
eective way of conveying powerful messages. In advocacy work you want to educate, raise awareness
and empower others, and podcasting provides a powerful platform to spread campaigns, to oer news/
updates, and to deliver educational content. Especially, when a cause is confrontational, podcasts can
oer an alternative space to raise a variety of voices that may not have been heard otherwise.
Producing a podcast needs time, money, and a signicant amount of labour. Creating a concept and
content for a podcast series and identifying and reaching out to potential guest speakers needs a lot of
time and eort. You need to keep in mind that podcast episodes must be delivered on a regular schedule,
which requires continuous commitment. Time is also needed for advertising the podcast via social
media and other communication channels. And nally, to produce a high-quality podcast, you will need
technical equipment such as microphones, audio editing soware, and podcast hosting services.
Sowt - Audio for Advocacy: Podcasts and Storytelling Online Course
Sowt (توص) is a podcast platform that provides audio content for Arabic speakers around the
world. Through its content, Sowt means to inform and engage populations across the Arab world
to foster critical conversations.
Sowt oers an Audio for Advocacy: Podcasts and Storytelling Online Course on Advocacy
Assembly, a free online training platform for human rights activists, campaigners, and
journalists. The course in English language is designed for organisations and individuals who
are interested in audio storytelling and human rights advocacy. It serves as an introduction to
podcasting and how human rights advocates can utilise audio storytelling in their work. This
course examines what podcasts are, how they can be useful to your work, and what are inspiring
examples of shows out there.
You can access the course here: https://advocacyassembly.org/en/courses/37/#/chapter/1/
lesson/1
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3.4. Promoting (and Protesting) Countries of Origin
Demonstrations and Protest - Awareness raising and collective healing
Diaspora advocacy actors can capitalise on the opportunities of expression and protest to indirectly
inuence decision-making towards their cause. Critical social and political developments, such as
revolutionary or violent conicts, are oen transformative events that shape and inuence diaspora
consciousness and mobilise actors to take their cause to the street to show solidarity and support the
struggle from abroad. Diaspora actors may organise demonstrations to call out injustice related to
structures of racism and discrimination in the residence country. For instance, for 54 days around 100
asylum seekers organised a protest camp in front of the BAMF building in Dortmund in 2015, demanding
the repeal of the Dublin regulation, faster processing of asylum applications, facilitated conditions for
family reunication, German language courses and facilitated access to work and higher education for
all asylum seekers. The movement put pressure on local authorities to improve the living conditions of
asylum seekers and to raise awareness among the wider German public for their situation. Protests can
also provide a space for collective healing, to express long-felt grievances and to relieve collectively from
feelings of suering, despair and outrage.
Below are some tips and strategies to increase the likelihood of success and sustainability of protests.
Creating a community feeling
36
helps to ensure that protests or demonstrations not only mobilise
people for a one-time event, but can create senses of belonging and more long-term and sustainable
commitment. Performing culture, by singing, music or dancing can create a sense of ‘we-ness’ and artistic
intervention are powerful tools that creatively call out injustices. Art and photography can also be used to
publicise injustices suered during protests and oen serve as snapshots of a protest that can outlast the
protest message.
Ensuring diversity in representation. The diasporic experience is oen characterised by great diversity
and shaped by the intersection of class, ethnic, religious, generational or gendered structures and
processes. When inviting supporters and speakers for a demonstration, you should be mindful about
creating a space that ensures the representation and visibility of more marginalised voices in the
community. This also includes taking care that your event is accessible for dierent groups, e.g., by
ensuring physical accessibility for people with dierent abilities, or that you have somebody interpreting
the speeches into dierent languages.
Dealing with internal conicts. Diasporas are social formations sometimes characterised by a strong
shared collective consciousness and other times by fragmentations, due to conicting ideas and
positions. Sometimes it happens - despite jointly taking a cause to the streets - groups end up in heated
discussions and disputes, which can harm a cause and negate inuence. Next to tactics for conict
resolution during the process, creating connections and common grounds, before, during and aer the
protests needs critical eorts in which you should invest on a constant basis. The Toolkits on Community
Outreach
37
and Networking and Alliance-Building
38
oer some guidance on how to organise communities
and create sustainable networks.
36 CIVICUS (n.D.). Protest Resilience Toolkit: Strategies for sustainable protest. Retrieved from: https://civicus.org/protest-resilience-toolkit/strategies/
37 Diker, E. & Ragab, N.J. (2021). Community outreach toolkit for diaspora organisations, commissioned by Danish Refugee Council’s Diaspora Programme
38 Ragab, N.J. & Diker, E. (2021). Networking & Alliance Building Toolkit, commissioned by Danish Refugee Council’s Diaspora Programme.
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44
Developing a safety plan helps to ensure that you are aware of and have measures in place that address
security challenges that might emerge during protest. Even if you reside in a country that oicially
respects and ensures that freedoms of expression and the human rights of protesters are protected, you
might still face police violence or aggression from outside actors who are against a cause. The CIVICUS
Protest Resilience Toolkit oers some practical guidance in this regard.
Developing an awareness concept that outlines the problems of physical and psychological disregard
of personal boundaries and even violence and identies methods to address them helps to create a safe
space during a protest. Violating behaviour, such as sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, dismissive,
or comparable assaults, should not be tolerated in protests. Discrimination and transgressive behaviour
should be clearly named as such, and such behaviour should be resolutely opposed. For this, you should
make sure to have an awareness team present at demonstrations that can be approached and knows
methods to address misconduct.
Inviting allies and creating space for them to educate about their own cause, not only helps to mobilise
a bigger crowd but also is an investment in sustainable forms of solidarity and gives us the chance to
highlight how struggles are interconnected. Inviting politicians and celebrities may increase visibility and
media coverage. Yet, especially when diaspora voices are already silenced, you need to ensure to create
enough space for your communities, to not further marginalise your position and concerns.
Reaching out to local media before and aer the demonstration helps to raise awareness and get
media coverage on your action. In addition, you may want to document and livestream the protest and
disseminate the content on social media as this allows you to cover the issues that mainstream media will
not report on. It is important to have dedicated spokespersons, who are properly trained before the event
to ensure that your message is articulated the way you want.
Being mindful of potential adverse impacts on the broader public. Oen demonstrations in the
diaspora are organised to challenge injustices, be it in the country of origin or in the context of residence.
Some opponents might misuse images or statements from your event to amplify or vindicate negative
stereotypes about communities both at home or abroad. Being aware of the risk and thinking about
strategies and tools to combat backlash and misrepresentation, helps you to be prepared and ready to
respond to it if needed.
Checklist: planning a demonstration, march or rally
• Define your purpose: As with all public events, you need to decide what your purpose and
main message is, what you want to achieve with the demonstration and who you want to
reach.
• Who is doing what - assign roles: Appointing one person or a team in charge of overall
organisation of the protest and dividing specific responsibilities and roles to other
participants is crucial not only for the success of the protest, but also for its safety. Organising
a demonstration or protest needs significant human resources – reach out to allies and
supporters, who can help fill dierent roles.
• Media spokespersons: responsible for talking to the press and to deliver your main
message.
• Public speakers: are holding speeches during the event and should be selected carefully
to ensure that more marginalised voices also get to the stage and are represented.
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| Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors
• Performers: you may want to have a dedicated group of performers, who through
chanting slogans, singing, music, dancing or other artistic performances keep the
powerful spirit alive.
• Awareness team: can be approached in case of physical and psychological disregard
of personal boundaries or violence and knows methods to address misconduct. The
awareness team should be easily identifiable, e.g. by holding signs.
• Stewards: guide participants along the route and are responsible for safety and conflict
resolution. Stewards should be easily identifiable, e.g. by wearing bright t-shirts.
• Organise training and debriefing for those with responsibilities: Aer having assigned
roles and responsibilities, you need to ensure that the persons in charge are equipped
with the right skills, methods and tools and that they have a shared understanding of the
main message, values and positions. Have a safety plan and awareness concept ready to be
shared.
• Planning the place or route, and timing: Start and end the demonstration in easily
accessible places, which are safe for public gatherings and choose a route in areas that allow
for drawing maximum public attention. Make sure that the route is accessible for people with
dierent abilities. Plan for max two hours to keep the presence and attention of people high
and try to stick to the timeline of your program.
• Check legal requirements and complete necessary formalities to ensure that your
campaign cannot be accused of illegal conduct. In many countries, demonstrations must be
formally announced or permitted by local authorities.
• Organise technical equipment such as megaphones, public address equipment
(loudspeakers, microphones) and digital cameras as needed.
• Get creative and prepare slogans, placards, banners and other colourful displays that
convey your cause and catch attention. Organising a preparation event, where material
can be created collectively not only unleashes creativity but also helps to create a sense of
community beforehand.
• Outreach: Advertise for your march or rally with flyers, e-mails, posters and on social media,
invite the press to report on your event. Think also about opportunities for face-to-face
mobilisation, e.g. through announcements at community events, or network meetings.
• Organise a reflection meeting aer the event to discuss and document strengths and
weaknesses of the demonstration and to derive lessons learnt. Discuss ways to follow-
through with activities to maintain the event’s momentum as part of a spectrum of
engagement.
Arts and cultural productions
The performing arts are powerful tools for challenging the status quo and can be important sites of social
and political transformation. Poetry, music and other forms of cultural expressions, were used to address
social injustice in dierent political struggles around the world, such as in the Civil Rights movement
in the U.S, and South African apartheid movement. Diasporic cultural and artistic productions, such
as paintings, drama, dance, music, literature, photography and lm, can develop ways for expressing
the challenges of the community in the residence country and to raise voices against stereotypes and
discrimination, as they enable alternative representations and the creation self-owned narratives. Arts
and culture also provided a space and alternative channels for raising awareness on the situation in the
country of origin and are, hence, powerful tools for addressing political struggles within both residence
and origin country contexts.
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46
Berlin - Damascus in exile
The revolutionary movement in the Arab world not only led to social and political
transformations in the WANA region, but also significantly contributed to social, cultural
and political change in countries of refuge. Among those who have found refuge in Germany
are artists, writers, musicians, performers, theatre directors and filmmakers. In particular,
Berlin’s cosmopolitan vibrancy and diverse political and cultural scene is considered a centre
of attraction for many artists in exile. This has led to a well-documented increase in Arabic-
language events across Berlin, ranging from theatre, poetry evenings, culture and politics,
conferences, gay parties, drag shows, as well as raves and film festivals. In recent years, artists
from the WANA region have thus made an important contribution to the Berlin art scene, but also
provide spaces for alternative political expressions.
See: Unicomb, M. (2021). Berlin: Inside Europe’s capital of Arab culture, Middle East Eye.
Artistic and cultural productions can be used in advocacy work to inuence public perception and to call
for policy change that promotes human rights and justice. Individual or collective activism of diaspora
groups may use the performing arts to express their political voice and articulate their resistance against
human right violations, by documenting, celebrating, and critiquing social conditions and realities.
Diasporic cultural practices can provide a creative space for the exploration and expression of identities
and promote community building and solidarity, by practising collective joy.
Artistic interventions can be powerful tools to disrupt public space and call attention to causes and
injustices. For instance, The Center for Political Beauty, based in Berlin, embodies a radical form of
humanism and sees “resistance as an art that needs to hurt, irritate, and unsettle”. An example of a
powerful advocacy action by the Center can be seen in their YouTube video Die Totten kommen.
Arts and Uncertainty designing creative interventions in times of crisis
Ettihajat – Independent Culture and the British Council have developed the toolkit for artists Arts
and Uncertainty: Designing Creative Interventions in Times of Crisis, as part of the wider Create
Syria: A Project to Empower Syrian Art in Exile. The toolkit consists of theoretical and practical
content, in addition to a number of case studies, all of which were designed to benefit artists
through practical experience and their involvement in wider cultural discussions. The content
has been also designed to promote freedom of expression and enhance community-level
creative projects, so that the latter can play their natural roles in influencing decision-makers
and enhancing the legitimate presence of art in daily life.
The toolkit targets artists, both individuals and groups directly involved in contributing to social
change. Initiatives or creative interventions of dierent nature are presented: small initiatives
(in terms of resources) with a limited scope (geographically) that create great impact within
their social and cultural contexts as well as international interventions that maintain their
eectiveness on wider geographical scales and for longer periods of time.
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| Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors
SECTION 4 - NAVIGATING RISKS OF
ADVOCACY IN FRAGILE CONTEXTS
Risk analysis is important to ensure that advocacy brings no harm to the aected communities or to the
diaspora, in any way. As in any project, you need to assess potential risks that may occur throughout
the project cycle. Diaspora actors may need to take into account additional factors as they operate on
the transnational level. Although states are not able to exercise their full sovereignty abroad, countries
of origin can introduce long-distance measures and policies to monitor and exert control over diaspora
communities. There are several well-documented examples, where governments of countries, including
Turkey, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia
39
used state-run institutions abroad in surveillance and intelligence
measures to repress diaspora political activism and to prevent the emergence of a political opposition
from outside. Tactics used by origin governments such as assassinations, the collective punishment of
family members back home or death and rape threats can pose signicant risk to diaspora advocates.
In less democratic states in the global south, civil society organisations may face accusations of being
driven by “foreign” or “Western” interests. Advocacy eorts of diaspora actors on the home country level,
particularly in countries aected by conict, can be vulnerable to such accusations due to potentially
troubled relations with the homeland.
40
Acknowledging that risks are part of advocacy, identifying them and being prepared for dealing
with them is important for advocacy success. It is important to keep an eye on the people you want to
inuence and your opponents. Following the news related to organisations, institutions or individuals in
decision-making roles or inuencing power, helps to observe and monitor the oen dynamic advocacy
context.
Tool: Risk Matrix
While tools like the SWOT analysis, help us to identify potential threats and risks, the risk matrix exercise
helps to decide which threats and risks you should prioritise and which actions you should take in
response to them. Some risks have a higher impact and probability than others, and you should focus on
the ones that cause the biggest losses and gains.
The Y-axis portrays the likelihood that the risk becomes reality, and the X-axis gives insights on how big
the threat will be to your advocacy campaign and safety. The tool also helps to derive concrete action and
to decide when to take action, and when not. This enables you to anticipate dierent scenarios and to
have strategies in place for dierent outcomes.
39 see for example Brand, L. A. (2006). Citizens Abroad: Emigration and the State in the Middle East and North Africa. New York: Cambridge University
Press; Østergaard-Nielsen, E. (2003). Transnational politics: Turks and Kurds in Germany. London: Routledge; Moss, D. M. (2016). Transnational Repression, Diaspora
Mobilization, and the Case of The Arab Spring. Social Problems, 63(4), 480–498.
40 Ross, J. (2013). Advocacy A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs.
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Table 6: Risk Matrix
Likelihood
Consequence
Likely Possible Unlikely
Major Extreme High Medium
Moderate High Medium Low - no action
required
Minor Medium Low – no action
required
Low - no action
required
Aer having the risks and consequences identied and rated, you will be able to think of dierent
measures to avert or minimise the damage. Depending on the likelihood and the level of consequence,
you can develop measures that fall into the following categories:
1. Avoid: A preventive way of managing risks is to not undertake them at all or to adjust your actions
and tools.
2. Reduce: With measures that address the causes of the threat, you can try to reduce the risk, but
you will most likely only be able to limit the damage.
3. Transfer: You may think of some actions that you can outsource, which would shi the
responsibility (and the risk) to another actor.
4. Accept: If the risk is insignicant or does not compensate for the positive outcomes, you can
accept the risk for now and no additional measures have to be taken.
Digital security is crucial in the digital age. It is important that you ensure that the computer
equipment you use is functioning and has a robust anti-virus system and that your communication
applications and channels use a secure and encrypted transmission of les and information. Valuable
and sensitive data should be copied and stored on a secure cloud system as well as on a physical drive to
minimise disruption if your soware crashes. You need to always ask yourself “How badly do I need this
data?”
Resources for digital security
Platforms such as the Surveillance Self-Defense, the Digital Defenders Programme and Security
in a Box provide digital security tools and training for human rights advocates.
Being prepared for backlash and having strategies and measures in place to respond to it. In the
face of accusations or threats, you should act as a team and agree on a common approach. Escalating
the issue further, may not help your cause and too oen you may nd yourself responding to accusations
by developing counter-arguments, instead of creating and sustaining a self-owned narrative. Moreover,
taking the issue directly to the media could backre, so in case you decide to do so, you should have a
strategy and concrete messaging in place, to respond. You should reect carefully on which struggles are
worse to ght. Sometimes, not responding saves time and energy to focus on your main cause. In other
cases, you may decide to take a low-key approach to resolving the conict by, for example, meeting with
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opponents, where both sides are equally represented. Here, you should remember, campaigns are not
won by overpowering the opposition, but rather by moving the various actors closer to your position.
Rallying your allies for support, can build a strong front against accusations.
Ensuring accountability and transparency, by timely and proper implementation of administrative
processes (e.g., complying with the procedures for income and expenses, record books of associations)
that leaves no room for ill-intentioned monitoring is of utmost importance. When it comes to budgets,
you shouldn’t design it as if you have the funds in the bank - always leave room for a sudden loss of funds.
Considering ethical issues in fundraising.
41
Which donors you acquire funding from reects your
organisational principles, credibility and accountability. Therefore, it is important to be aware of
the actual source of funds. For example, a company using child labor to produce its products, or a
wealthy businessperson that engages in weapon trade are far from being good partners of civil society
organizations. Acquiring funds from improper sources may damage our legitimacy as advocates.
‘Do no harm’ principle in advocacy: Case of Armenian diaspora and Armenians in Turkey
The Do No Harm approach was introduced in the early 1990s by CDA Collaborative Learning
Projects (CDA) and it was mainly used as a tool to ensure conflict sensitivity in aid programming.
42
It was then adapted in other fields of action as an important principle. In advocacy work, ‘do no
harm’ can be understood as avoiding exposing people to additional risks through our actions.
It requires advocates to take a step back and identify potential adverse impacts of actions on
aected communities, or more broadly, the social fabric, the economy and the environment.
For example, the lobbying eorts of the Armenian diaspora in the United States sometimes
creates a hostile environment towards the small community of Armenians living in Turkey. While
their lobbying eorts paved the way for the recognition of Armenian genocide by the US, and
contributed to justice, the ongoing denial of the Turkish government creates tension between the
Turkish government and Turkish citizens of Armenian origin. This issue was voiced repeatedly by
Hrant Dink, an Armenian journalist and activist from Turkey, who was critical about the attitude
of diaspora Armenians. He wrote articles where he urged the Armenian diaspora to give up their
hatred of Turks, which was then taken out of context and misunderstood, resulting in several
court cases against him.
43
Hrant Dink was assassinated in front of his oice in 2007 by nationalist
groups.
41 Diker, E. & Ragab, N.J. (2021). Fundraising for diaspora organisations, commissioned by Danish Refugee Council’s Diaspora Programme.
42 CDA (2016). Collaborative Learning Projects. Do No Harm Workshop Trainer’s Manual. Cambridge, MA.. CDA developed a manual to guide practitioners
to facilitate a “Do No Harm” workshop. The manual can be found here: https://www.cdacollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Do-No-Harm-DNH-Trainers-
Manual-2016.pdf
43 Let’s Talk About the Living: An Interview with Hrant Dink. (2007). Index on Censorship, 36(2), 32–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/03064220701334451
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SECTION 5 - EMOTIONS AND
ADVOCACY WORK
Social and political transformation happening in the country of origin oen inspire actors in the diaspora
to contribute to social change. Being part of a movement even from abroad creates a shared feeling
of we-ness - is oen energising, rewarding and empowering. Yet, members of the diaspora are oen
confronted with a ‘portfolio of obligations’, in which demands, needs, responsibilities to their own life
and family and the desire to show commitment to the struggles of the broader diaspora community have
to be balanced and negotiated. In protracted conicts, constant exposure to death, displacement and
destruction oen not only leads to feelings of guilt and obligation to act, but may also come with feelings
of despair, frustration, and resignation. In the context of residence, the diasporic experience is oen
not only marked by exile, displacement, instability and insecurity but also by experiences of exclusion,
discrimination, and racism. As a result, advocates may act in a constant mode of reaction in order to
address the multitude of challenges arising from conict and displacement.
It’s hard to work under these conditions of exhaustion and trauma. Being active advocates means oen
working in high-pressure (and sometimes hostile) environments and bearing witness to violations
and violence, which can lead to burnout, exhaustion and stress. Taking care of ourselves is an oen
overlooked aspect of advocacy, because the work feels urgent and necessary. Yet, to help others and
contribute to social change we have to make sure that we take care of ourselves and our physical and
emotional wellbeing. This includes to imagine ourselves not only as individuals but also as part of a
community. If we understand our struggle as a collective struggle, this means that we can sometimes rest,
because there are others that keep our work going.
Self-care, then, is not only about us feeling good as individuals, but also collective care, where the well-
being of others becomes the responsibility of all. Self- and collective care is essential in building resilience
and collective strength, supports the sustainability of our actions and builds the power we need to bring
about change. This starts by seeing self-care not as a separate task, but as an aspect that guides how we
do our work.
Practising self- and collective care
The worksheets created by TARSHI can help you become more aware of your stress, thoughts,
emotions and beliefs. The worksheets are on a range of topics, from finding happiness in the
small things, to understanding stressors, from mindful breathing with body movement, to
reflecting upon your core values.
Website: https://www.tarshi.net/selfcare/resources-self-care/
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The diasporic experience is oen shaped by war, repression and displacement, marked by grief, anger
and despair, as much as stories of hope, desires, dreams and happiness. It is crucial to create a space for
emotions in advocacy to harness them for mobilising others for our causes and to make our individual
and collective engagements more sustainable.
Diaspora advocacy oen aims at changing deeply entrenched structures of injustices, be it to ght
corruption, repression, or other forms of violence in the country of origin, or racism, exclusion and
discrimination in the context of residence. Anger can be a powerful emotion that motivates us to act on
our sense of injustice or concern. At the same time, it can be highly frustrating once we realise that we can
do little (especially from abroad) to tackle structural injustices, which may turn anger into a destructive
force. Therefore, anger interacts with self-eicacy - the belief that one’s action could inuence the
political process and contribute to social change. The question then becomes, how can we channel our
anger toward positive outcomes, to make sure that we act - rather than react - and that we have control
over our actions, rather than being controlled by a challenging environment.
Check your anger
44
Anger is a universal emotion that all human beings feel. However, cognitive behaviour theorists
argue that anger is a secondary emotion, and there is oen a more vulnerable emotion
underneath. It can be fear, it can be feeling disrespected, or it can be about feeling lonely in your
eorts. Feeling anger is normal, and it can be helpful to be angry in certain situations. However,
knowing what’s underneath that anger is key in terms of mental health and in terms of figuring
out what you need so that you choose your behaviours wisely.
Thought-Feelings-Behaviours (TFB) Cycle
45
Another idea proposed by cognitive behaviour theorists is that our thoughts determine our feelings,
which, in turn, determine our behaviour . If, for example, we struggle to stay motivated, we may start
thinking that we are not successful advocates. This may lead to a negative feeling, of, for example, feeling
worthless. That feeling may in turn determine the way we behave. If we feel worthless, we are inclined
to think that our contributions are not necessary, thus, we make no progress towards our goals. Our
behaviours, however, have consequences. The negative consequences of not making any progress will in
turn create new negative thoughts. For example, one may begin to think “in addition to being a failure at
work, I’m not even a good partner/parent”, which will then feed into new negative feelings. While failing at
work and being a good partner has nothing to do with one another, human thinking tends to lump them
together because we tend to relate dierent issues. As a result, the TFB cycle becomes a vicious cycle of
negativity. Then, how can we break out of this cycle? While we cannot change the way we feel, we may
have control over our thoughts. Research has shown that as human beings, we are most successful in
changing the way we think. It is therefore important to distinguish thoughts from feelings to gure out
what we need to focus on changing.
46
44 “Fostering Wellness: Transforming Stress & Trauma through Self-Care and Resilience”, session by Dr. Heidi Kar, Rotary Peace Fellowship Program,
Chulalongkorn University. August 2022.
45 ibid.
46 To distinguish thoughts and feelings, it may be helpful to check out the different ways emotions manifest themselves, so that we better judge what is our
emotion and what is our thought. The vocabulary of emotions developed by Tom Drummond (2021) may be a helpful tool: https://tomdrummond.com/wp-content/
uploads/2019/11/Emotion-Feelings.pdf
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Figure 14: Thought-Feelings-Behaviours (TFB) Cycle
While we are oen driven by the seriousness of our cause, we sometimes forget about the things that
bring happiness to our advocacy. Changing the world doesn’t have to be just another form of work, and
more importantly, joy and pleasure can co-exist alongside anger, pain, and grief. We should not neglect
the power of positive emotions that not only bring us together but also helps us to stay committed to
our cause. Claiming and celebrating success, even when small, is a crucial aspect of building stronger,
healthier, and more impactful communities. We can create space for pleasure in all aspects of our
advocacy, especially by practices of collective joy, which means experiencing joy within our community:
1. Creating moments of release like the celebration of victories, no matter how small!
2. Making and having food together
3. Dancing when decisions are made
4. Practising music, singing and dancing on events and demonstrations
Pleasure activism
“Pleasure activism is the work we do to reclaim our whole, happy, and satisfiable selves from the
impacts, delusions, and limitations of oppression and/or supremacy”. ― adrienne maree brown
Learn more:
Hurley, Cari. The Power of Pleasure Activism, The Intersectionalist Magazine.
Bracy, Emma (2019). Pleasure Activism: A Feel-Good Approach to Changing the World, Repeller.
brown, adrienne maree (2019). Pleasure Activism. AK Press
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SECTION 6 - CONCLUSIONS AND
LESSONS LEARNED
Diaspora groups, organisations, and individuals have become inuential advocacy actors in their
countries of origin and of residence. In fragile origin country contexts aected by war, violence and
conict, diaspora actors can play an important role in inuencing the decisions aecting the lives of their
communities.
With this toolkit, we aimed to provide a useful resource to support advocacy work led by diaspora actors
based on a review of existing resources and conversations with members of diaspora communities
advocating for social, economic, and political change in their country of origin, country of residence,
and internationally. While many existing resources and tools can be adapted and used in the diaspora
context, the unique position of diaspora communities at the juncture of host-state, home-state and the
transnational eld makes diaspora actions susceptible to inuence of the diverse political and social
contexts on these levels and their interactions. While non-diaspora advocates usually deal with a single
country context, diaspora advocates oen need to assess the broader external context which may include
both the residence and origin country, as well as the transnational context.
Throughout this toolkit, we hope to have provided suicient guidance to diaspora advocates in planning
and implementing an advocacy strategy with a step-by-step approach. We presented various methods
that can be used to carry out advocacy, with a specic focus on their relevance for diaspora communities.
We discussed the potential risks diasporas may face during their advocacy particularly in fragile contexts,
and, oered tools and strategies to navigate these challenges and to protect aected communities and
ourselves from harm. In the nal section, we addressed the oen overlooked aspect of emotions in
advocacy and presented some tools and guidance focussing on the importance of self- and collective
care. In each section, we provided subject-specic recommendations, checklists and good practices and
lessons learnt based on examples of dierent country cases.
While it is diicult to provide broader recommendations on the topic given the diversity of diasporas,
their advocacy issues, contextual settings and the pros and cons associated with specic methods, our
conversations with diaspora actors during the workshops
47
we organized as part of this study allowed us
to identify some overarching issues worth to take into consideration by diaspora actors from fragile origin
country contexts aected by war, violence and conict. These learnings can be roughly summarised as
below:
Connectedness to countries of (ancestral) origin. If diaspora members are advocating for members of
their communities elsewhere, either in origin countries or in other countries of residence, the legitimacy
of their actions may be questioned by aected communities. While diaspora actors may be better
positioned to inuence policymakers and use this leverage to support aected groups, there is also
47 Two workshops were organized to contribute to the development and revision of this toolkit. The first one titled “Diaspora Advocacy” was held online
on August 10. 2022 with a small group of advocacy actors in diaspora from conflict-affected origin countries before we started developing this toolkit. The second
workshop session titled “Diaspora Advocacy Toolkit” was organized on November 5, 2022 as part of the ADSP-CAPRS-DRC and Mixed Migration Centre (MMC)
Professional Development Short Course on Evidenced Based Advocacy for the Afghan Diaspora in Europe 2022, with the aim to gather feedback from diaspora actors
on the draft version of the toolkit. The recommendations are mainly shaped around the conversations we had with diaspora actors during these workshops.
Advocacy Toolkit for diaspora actors |
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the possibility of being disconnected from the reality of the communities in their countries of origin.
Collective work between origin country advocates and diaspora actors, bringing voices from the ground
without trying to be their voices, is important to ensure representation and legitimacy.
Fragmentations within diaspora communities. The fragmentations within diaspora communities
may complicate the aspect of unity and commitment if existing disputes overshadow the common goal.
The divisions within diaspora communities in terms of how they perceive a certain issue also has to
be addressed, which may, on a separate level, require advocacy within certain diaspora communities.
During the rst workshop we organised with advocacy actors, one of the Afghan participants noted the
challenges of mobilising a certain segment of the diaspora in supporting newly arrived refugees, which
she argued may be linked to fears that their acceptance in the society could be compromised given the
increasing negative stereotypes against the refugees. It is therefore a delicate task to ensure a sense of
unity and activism given the complex internal dynamics and the diverse external context surrounding
diasporas. Targeting diaspora communities in our advocacy eorts can help to raise awareness and foster
unity in diversity.
Alliance across diasporas and beyond. The sphere of inuence of advocacy eorts depends above all
on the extent to which the position of the diaspora advocates is in line with the foreign policy stance of
the country of residence and what priority the issue has on the political agenda and the wider public.
Especially in the context of protracted conicts, there is a risk that your eorts may be neglected due
to more pressing topics on the agenda. Fostering networks, alliances and spaces for solidarity with
other diaspora groups from other countries, may help to create a new window of opportunity to amplify
causes and stress the interconnectivity of diaspora struggles. For instance, during the rst workshop,
participants mentioned that the Ukraine war and the diaspora activism around it may bring a new
momentum to the forgotten conicts in other contexts. Network building between diaspora advocates
– sharing opportunities with each other, but also lessons learnt – creates solidarity and helps to amplify
dierent voices and struggles. Alliances with other civil society actors (e.g., refugee led, community
organisations – NGO) also helps to mobilise a broader base of support.
Establishing a shared set of values. Diaspora advocates oen act in a mode of emergency, in which
crisis follows aer crisis. As a result, there is oen limited space for reecting on core actions and shared
values, as advocates are pressured to act immediately to address the multitude of needs arising from
the conict. For example, a workshop participant from Syria highlighted how the constant mode of
emergency prevented diaspora actors to reect on their understandings of key issues (justice, democracy,
freedom), which -while mutually shared - oen carried dierent meanings. She stressed that advocacy
eorts are not sustainable if actors don’t invest in the more invisible work of creating shared values as
bases for advocacy, hence the vision and mission that guides our action.
From reaction to pro-action. Sustainable inuence is possible only through long-term commitment and
unity. Next to creating a base of shared values, developing an advocacy strategy and space for reecting
and learning is crucial to build more long-term and sustainable advocacy eorts. Being aware of the trend
trap - that people lose interest quickly - and exploring methods and spaces of alliances and networking
that keep our cause alive is crucial here. Advocacy is more successful if it’s built on sustainable
community organising. Managing expectations of what we can and cannot achieve with advocacy and
celebrating successes - even when small - helps us to keep our community motivated and mobilised.
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Recognising emotions, self and collective care as essential aspects of advocacy. Being active in
advocacy means oen working in stressful (and sometimes hostile) environments and bearing witness
to violations and violence, which can lead to burnout, exhaustion and stress. The diasporic experience is
oen shaped by war, repression and displacement, marked by grief, anger and despair, as much as stories
of hope, desires, dreams and happiness. It is crucial to create a space for emotions in advocacy to harness
them for mobilising others for your causes and to make our individual and collective engagements more
sustainable. Self- and collective care is essential in building resilience and collective strength, supports
the sustainability of actions and builds the power needed to achieve change. This starts by seeing self-
care not as a separate task, but as an aspect that guides the way we do our work. Building collective
leadership within organisations, helps to prepare all to contribute to success of the advocacy, through
carrying the responsibilities on many instead of one strong shoulder.
Assessing impact. Without knowing the impact, or believing in the impact you made, it becomes
diicult to stay motivated and to inspire others to take action for your cause. Diaspora advocacy oen
aims at changing deeply entrenched structures of injustices, be it to ght corruption, repression, or
other forms of violence in the country of origin, or racism, exclusion and discrimination in the context of
residence. Looking at changes on dierent levels can help us identify the various impacts your advocacy
eorts have, beyond the more structural level. We need to ask ourselves, how much did we grow? We
need to ask our team, what kind of relationship we have built, and ask our community, what actions
and successes have been achieved on the collective level? We need to link our action to the needs and
aspirations of our community and create spaces for self-empowerment. If we see people engaging in our
cause and action, this can be a good indicator of success.
Catching the momentum in countries of residence. Critical social and political developments, such
as revolutionary or violent conicts, are oen transformative events that shape and inuence diaspora
consciousness and mobilise actors to take their cause to the street to show solidarity and support the
struggle from abroad. Yet, sometimes it can be wise to catch the social and political contexts in countries
of residence, which can be more enabling at times. For example, if there are elections in the countries
of residence, which provides more space than usual for citizen voices, it can be a good opportunity to
publicise campaigns to reach wider audiences.
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REFERENCES
Arab Reform Initiative. (2022). Mediatized Arab Diasporas: Understanding the role of transnational media
in diasporic political action formation. https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/storage.arab-reform.net/
ari/2022/05/07182647/20220607-mediatized-arab-diasporas-understanding-the-role-of-transnational-
media-in-diasporic-political-action-formation.pdf
Baser, B. & Toivanen, M. (2017). The politics of genocide recognition: Kurdish nation-building and
commemoration in the post-Saddam era. Journal of Genocide Research, 19(3), 404–426.
Binaisa, N. (2013). Nigeria @ 50: Policies and Practices for Diaspora Engagement. In M. Collyer (Ed.),
Emigration Nations (pp. 226–251). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bracy, E. (2019). Pleasure Activism: A Feel-Good Approach to Changing the World, Repeller.
brown, a.m. (2019). Pleasure Activism. AK Press.
CDA Collaborative Learning Projects. (2016). Do No Harm Workshop Trainer’s Manual. Cambridge, MA:
CDA. CDA developed a manual to guide practitioners to facilitate a “Do No Harm” workshop. https://www.
cdacollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Do-No-Harm-DNH-Trainers-Manual-2016.pdf
Chenoweth, E. (2020). The Future of Nonviolent Resistance. Journal of Democracy, 31(3), 69-84.
Church, C. & M. Rogers, M. (2006). Designing for results: Integrating Monitoring and Evaluation in Conict
Transformation Programs.
Davidov, Eldad, and Bart Meuleman. (2012). Explaining attitudes towards immigration policies in
European countries: The role of human values. Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies 38:757–775.
DEMAC (2022). DEMAC Pocket Guide: Advocacy Toolkit for Diaspora Humanitarian Organizations
Dennison, J. (2019). What policy communication works for migration? Using values to depolarise.
DRC (2021). Community outreach toolkit for diaspora organisations
DRC (2021). Fundraising for diaspora organisations
DRC (2021) Networking & Alliance Building Toolkit for diaspora organizations
Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conict (GPPAC). (2017). Conict Analysis Framework:
Field Guidelines and Procedures.
Hammer, M.;Rooney, C. & Warren, S. (2010). Addressing accountability in NGO advocacy Practice,
principles and prospects of self-regulation.
Hurley, C. (n.d). The Power of Pleasure Activism, The Intersectionalist Magazine. https://www.
theintersectionalist.com/feature/mixbilokr246rahfq9j60om9by9jm9a
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Mey, E. (2008). Brieng Paper: Cambodian Diaspora Communities in Transitional Justice. International
Center for Transitional Justice: New York.
Newland, K. (2010). Voice Aer Exit: Diaspora Advocacy. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.
Oxfam. (2013). A Quick Guide to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning in Fragile Contexts.
https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/a-quick-guide-to-monitoring-evaluation-accountability-and-
learning-in-fragile-c-297134/
Ragab, N. J. & Antara, L. (2018). Political Participation of Refugees. The Case of Afghan and Syrian
Refugees in Germany, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Stockholm.
Ragab, N. J. & Diker, E. (2021). Networking & Alliance Building Toolkit, commissioned by Danish Refugee
Council’s Diaspora Programme.
Ross, J. (2013). Advocacy A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs. Retrieved from: https://www.intrac.org/
resources/advocacy-guide-small-diaspora-ngos/
Sagiv, L. & Schwartz, S.S. (1995). Value priorities and readiness for out-group social contact. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 69:437–448.
Tang, A. (n.d.). The Commons: Social Change library. Retrieved from: https://commonslibrary.org/guide-
power-mapping-and-analysis/
Turcu, A., & Urbatsch, R. (2015). Diusion of Diaspora Enfranchisement Norms: A Multinational Study.
Comparative Political Studies, 48(4), 407–437.
VSO (2009). Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO sta, volunteers and partners. Retrieved from: http://
www.toolsforchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VSO-2009-Participatory-Advocacy.pdf?4c19cd
Young, E., & Quinn, L. (2012). Making research evidence matter: A guide to policy advocacy in transition
countries. Budapest, Hungary: Open Society Foundations. https://advocacyguide.icpolicyadvocacy.org/
sites/icpa-book.local/les/Policy_Advocacy_Guidebook_2012.pdf
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APPENDIX: USEFUL RESOURCES
FOR CSOs
Advocacy Assembly
Is a free online training platform available in six languages. It oers unique courses provided by
internationally recognised organisations to suit dierent advocacy needs and helps people to learn and
develop practical advocacy skills.
Website: https://advocacyassembly.org/en/
Beautiful Trouble Toolbox
Beautiful Trouble provides an online Toolbox for grassroots and social change actors. In dierent sections
you will nd the theories behind their tools, as well as strategic frameworks and hands-on exercises to
help you assess your situation and plan your campaign. It also highlights specic forms of creative action,
such as a ash mobs or blockades. The website and tools are available in Arabic.
Website: https://www.beautifultrouble.org/
Commons Social Change Library
The Commons Social Change Library is an online collection of educational resources on campaign
strategy, community organising, digital campaigning, communications and media, working eectively in
groups, fundraising, diversity and inclusion and much more.
Website: https://commonslibrary.org/
Eirene Peacebuilding Database
In this database, you can nd more than 3,300 indicators that are compiled together from publicly
available peacebuilding resources. You can search for indicators based on country, eld and program
activities. If your organisation is engaged in peacebuilding or if your advocacy issue is linked to a
conict, this is a useful resource to help you gure out potential indicators to measure your impact. It is
completely ne to use pre-used indicators in your programming if it ts well in your theory of change.
Website: https://www.allianceforpeacebuilding.org/eirene-peacebuilding-database
NGO Connect
NGO Connect, is a website dedicated to connecting and strengthening civil society organizations,
networks and support organizations worldwide. The Resources and tools database contains technical
and program-related materials to support organizational development and institutional strengthening.
Website: https://www.ngoconnect.net/resources-tools
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OECD DAC Criteria
The OECD DAC Network on Development Evaluation (EvalNet) has dened six evaluation criteria:
relevance, coherence, eectiveness, eiciency, impact and sustainability. These criteria can be used to
make evaluative judgements about an advocacy campaign.
Website: https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.htm
Oxfam Policy Practice
Oers free access to research reports, policy briefs, case studies, tools, guidelines, and more on the topic
of advocacy and inuencing
Website: https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/tools-for-inuencing/
Power Shi Network Resource Bank
Power Shi Network Resource Bank is a crowd-sourced compendium of all the movement’s best tools
and trainings capturing methods for community building, storytelling, coalition building, fundraising and
much more.
Website: https://www.powershi.org/resources
Racial Equity Tools
Supports individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. It oers tools, research, tips, curricula,
and ideas for people who want to increase their understanding and to help those working for racial justice
at dierent levels – in systems, organizations, communities, and the culture at large.
Website: https://www.racialequitytools.org/
Resources for digital security
Platforms such as the Surveillance Self-Defense, the Digital Defenders Programme and Security in a Box
provide digital security tools and training for human rights advocates.
Save the Children’s Indicator guidance
Save the Children’s open education session on “Monitoring and evaluating advocacy and campaigns”
provides detailed guidance on how to create indicators to successfully monitor and evaluate advocacy.
Website: https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/resource/view.php?id=53739
TARSHI
The worksheets created by TARSHI can help us become more aware about our stress, thoughts, emotions
and beliefs. The worksheets are on a range of topics, from nding happiness in the small things, to
understanding our stressors, from mindful breathing with body movement, to reecting on our core
values.
Website: https://www.tarshi.net/selfcare/resources-self-care/
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The Vocabulary of Emotions
To distinguish thoughts and feelings, it may be helpful to check out the dierent ways emotions manifest
themselves, so that we better judge what is our emotion and what is our thought. The vocabulary of
emotions developed by Tom Drummond (2021) may be a helpful tool.
Website; https://tomdrummond.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Emotion-Feelings.pdf
Trainings 350
Oers practical tools for organisers, facilitators and trainers, including tools to build long-term capacity
and power, activities for leading interactive workshops, seminars, and retreats, as well as methods for
leading group meetings. The website and tools are available in Arabic.
Website: https://trainings.350.org/
Advocacy Toolkits
Advocacy Institute. (2002). Nine Questions - A Strategy Planning Tool for Advocacy Campaigns. https://
www.ndi.org/sites/default/les/Handout%201%20-%20Nine%20Advocacy%20Questions.pdf
CARE International. (2014). The CARE International Advocacy Toolkit. https://www.
careemergencytoolkit.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CARE-International-Advocacy-Handbook-2014-
English.pdf
GRSP. (n.d.). Media Advocacy Toolkit. https://www.grsproadsafety.org/resources/advocacy-tools/grsp-
media-advocacy-toolkit/
GRSP. (n.d.). Advocacy Campaign Toolkit. https://www.grsproadsafety.org/resources/advocacy-tools/
INTRAC. (2022). Advocacy: A Toolkit for Small NGOs. https://www.intrac.org/resources/advocacy-a-
toolkit-for-small-ngos/
Oxfam. (2020). Inuencing for Impact Guide: How to deliver eective inuencing strategies. https://
oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/621048/gd-inuencing-for-impact-guide-
150920-en.pdf;jsessionid=9BBFFE882985AB49EDB8B7FAD37F50E4?sequence=1
Ross, J. (2013). Advocacy A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs. https://www.intrac.org/resources/
advocacy-guide-small-diaspora-ngos/
VSO. (2009). Participatory advocacy: A toolkit for VSO sta, volunteers and partners. http://www.
toolsforchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VSO-2009-Participatory-Advocacy.pdf?4c19cd
Yazaji, R. (2021). Arts and Uncertainty designing creative interventions. Ettijahat –Independent Culture
and the British Council. https://www.ettijahat.org/uploads/arts_and_uncertainty_en.pdf
Young, E., & Quinn, L. (2012). Making research evidence matter: A guide to policy advocacy in transition
countries. Open Society Foundations. https://advocacyguide.icpolicyadvocacy.org/sites/icpa-book.local/
les/Policy_Advocacy_Guidebook_2012.pdf
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With support from
